


Break the Wheel

by jess (jess_m)



Series: For The Throne [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Asexual Arya Stark, BAMF Jon Snow, Badass Arya, F/M, Forced Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Major Original Character(s), Minor Joffrey Baratheon/Sansa Stark, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Orphanage, Orphans, Prostitution, Protective Robb Stark, Robb Stark is a Gift, Sassy Arya Stark, Underage Prostitution, Winterfell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-01-16 18:11:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 40,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18526891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jess_m/pseuds/jess
Summary: Aileen Harrison, a whore's girl, an orphan and a peasant. She's at the lowest social rung, yet after stealing the hearts of the Stark family she not only has a chance to climb but a chance to prosper and before anyone knows it: a peasant becomes one of the leading faces of the war; of the five kings, against the white walkers, for the iron throne.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm sure you all hate me for the bombardment of new fics but I genuinely have a lot written out for this one already so bear with me. 
> 
> This is going to feature actual lines and plots from the TV show so keep in mind that I own nothing you recognize. I will also take some liberties with the settings and people to better suit the story, meaning some characters may be OOC, some settings may be different and some politics may even be slightly altered. Just go with it and pretend this is the way it was all along otherwise you'll have quite a few headaches.
> 
> This story is going to be in two parts. This first part here will be seasons 1-4 and the second part will be seasons 5-8. Not every episode will be written as I don't always need every episode to keep along the canonical series of events. We don't know who's going to sit on the Iron Throne yet, but by the time this story finishes we likely will and just keep in mind I may change that as well for the sake of how I want this story to go. 
> 
> Now, enjoy!

“Hide!” He hissed as he tucked into a corner to dodge a few passing guards.

Aileen Harrison winced as her eyes darted across the corridor to the slim resources at her disposal. Eventually, her eyes fell on a curtain and with nothing else available, she ducked behind it and prayed the guards' eyes didn’t fall on her for more than a few seconds otherwise her presence might become obvious.

She squeezed her soft green eyes shut and listened to the heavy boots falling hard like the pounds against her chest as she held her breath and prayed to both the old gods and the new.

This had been the first time any actual authority had even caught sight of her since the bastard of Winterfell had begun sneaking her into the castle for food.

Jon Snow had found her when they were both nine-years-old and he had given her what no one else could: he gave her a home. A place where she could count on three meals a day, a place to sleep when the cold winds of the North kept her up on those long and lonely nights, and better yet he gave her a friend.

She finally had someone to talk to that wasn’t one of her mother’s friends or one of the clients the women had forced her to take.

It was someone who truly cared.

Now it was all going to be thrown away when she was thrown in the dungeons with her hands cut off.

However, by some blessing the gods had granted her, the guards passed this time and the curtain was flung back so the young Jon Snow was staring at her with terror clenching his eyes.

“We have to go,” he gasped, and before she could even respond he grabbed her hand and dragged her down the corridor.

“How are we supposed to get out?” She breathed. “Your father is going to have guards surrounding the castle if Maester Luwin told him about me.”

“Well, pray that he hasn’t and if he does- I don’t know but I might have a plan,” Jon huffed, not daring to meet her curious gaze for fear of just how bad the plan could turn out.

“Could this plan put me in any more danger?” Aileen wondered.

“Not likely,” Jon shrugged, hoping that was a benefit and not another worry they needed to consider.

“Right then, might as well jump straight into the fire and hope it doesn’t burn,” Aileen sighed. Her eyes widened briefly as she remembered the last time she had heard that phrase before she hung her head. “My mum always used to say that,” she murmured and Jon froze.

He turned to her with a deep breath and grabbed her shoulders. “One day you’ll find out what happened to her,” he swore, his tone breathless and urgent as he spared a few glances around them to ensure they weren’t being watched while he spoke. “I promise you.”

“I hope so,” Aileen nodded, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips as she looked just

past Jon rather than finding the courage in herself to meet his gaze. “But for now we have to make sure my hands don’t get cut off.”

Jon smirked and nodded, grabbing her hand once more and running to the end of the hall. Once there, he skidded to a stop and turned to Aileen once more. “Do you trust me?” He asked, his brown eyes somehow fraught with concern that she may say no even after he had taken care of and supported her for three years.

“Of course,” Aileen breathed, shrugging as though that was as obvious as each breath she drew.

Jon smiled faintly before sucking in a sharp breath and turning to the chamber door to Aileen’s right. “Okay, this is going to be a risk but it may very well pay out in the end if he isn’t too far gone.”

“Who isn’t too far gone?” Aileen wondered, furrowing her eyebrows and frowning at Jon.

However, before he could respond, they heard the distant shouts of the guards who were combing the castle for her as they spoke drawing closer, and without further explanation, Jon opened the chamber door and shoved her inside unceremoniously.

In the bedchamber, there was a young boy who appeared to be just a bit older than her sitting on his bed and reading. 

He looked up and his large blue eyes shined as he blinked strangle at her and tilted his head as though he were trying to dissect just who she was just by appearances.

Aileen smirked as she stared at him. Of all the places she could be pushed into and desperately seeking shelter from, a place with a pretty boy on the bed reading was far from the worst of them.

Jon bolted inside after her, leaving the door open a small crack so he could keep an eye on the guards before he spun around.

“Robb,” Jon gasped, his chest heaving from all the running he and Aileen had been doing.

“What- What are you doing?” Robb frowned, his eyes darting between the pair. “Who the hell is this?!”  He exclaimed, waving his hand towards Aileen.

Aileen winced as she shifted awkwardly on her feet. Her fingers were shaky as they came up to gently comb through the ends of her matty brown hair and for the first time she realized how poor she must appear to the others in the castle.

She had barely bothered to comb through her hair or give it any kind of attention since her mother had vanished and she had been left out on the streets, therefore it had become a large ball of brown hair with knots and mats too thick for a simple comb to fix. At this rate, she knew she’d have to get most of the long hair chopped off if she were ever going to salvage the rat’s nest.

Her face, which was simple porcelain shoved out onto the cold hard streets of Winterfell bore several bruises and cuts which still had yet to heal, as well as dirt smudged across her face as baths and running water, were often not a luxury she could afford.

Unless she snuck in somewhere or managed to get enough time in the Winterfell castle without being caught, self cleanliness often took a backseat for the chance to eat that day.

Her clothes by far were the worst of it. She hadn’t been able to afford new clothes since Jon Snow helped her run from the whorehouse, so she had about three changes of clothes that still fit her and hadn’t been too damaged to wear by tears. They too could not afford the luxury of good washes often so they usually appeared ratty and dirty- the clear appearance of a street urchin.

Finally, she hardly ever wore shoes because she had not purchased new ones since she was nine-years-old and at twelve they had begun to pinch and seriously hurt her feet, so her feet were often covered in the mud and dirt of the world outside.

She hardly looked like a girl who should be running amock in the home of the great Starks of Winterfell and if she was honest with herself, someone should have caught her sneaking into the castle long ago.

“She needed food,” Jon sighed. “She has nobody else and we have more than enough food to keep her alive.”

“That is not our job, Snow!” Robb barked. “You’ve heard father. The law is the law and sometimes it may seem unfair but without it we wouldn’t be able to keep things as good as they are.”

“But they are not good,” Aileen murmured with a small frown as she stared down at her dirty pale feet.

“What?” Robb frowned, turning his head to her so fast she worried for a split second it may hurt.

Aileen took a deep breath and willed the courage within herself to meet the gaze of the little lord.

“You’re Robb Stark right?” Aileen clarified. “The heir to Winterfell?”

“Yes, and as such it’s my job to turn the pair of you in,” Robb said stiffly, placing his finger inside his book to mark his page and beginning to climb out of bed.

“Why?” Aileen wondered and Robb faltered.

“Why, what?” 

“Why do you have to turn me in?” She asked innocently.

“Well, because you were stealing food from us,” Robb shrugged as though that were obvious. “That’s against the law.”

“Was I, though?” Aileen implored. “Jon, did I steal your entire dinner?” She asked, turning to the bastard in question.

“Hardly,” Jon scoffed. “You probably stole the exact amount leftover that would inevitably be fed to the animals.”

Aileen turned to Robb with a raised brow and practically dared him to contradict her.

“Still,” Robb huffed. “It is our food to do with as we please. It is not yours to take whenever you fancy.”

“If you’re the lords of Winterfell then should it not be apart of your duty as the upper class to feed and help the lowest? To keep us alive and help us if you are able?” Aileen wondered. “I did not steal any precious jewels or gowns, just what I needed to stay alive. Do you really think it is alright for me to have my hand cut off for that?”

Robb frowned and seemed sincerely confused as he thought on her words. “But father-.”

“Forget your father for a moment. Forget the law and what your schoolings are trying to tell you to do and just focus on what you think is right,” Aileen insisted. “Do you think helping me is right?”

Robb took a shaky breath and moved back from her as his mind spun. Ned Stark had been pounding lessons of how to lead Winterfell in his mind since he had been seven. Now, at fourteen some stranger was telling him that there was another way and it seemed entirely impossible. However, a small piece of him- the devil on his shoulder, said he should listen to her and try to search within his heart for what he wanted to do.

He closed his eyes and sighed softly as he fought past what he had learned to what he knew.

When his eyes flickered open a moment later, he looked vulnerable and scared. Like he had regressed into the little boy he had once been before his father began teaching him the cold harshness of the laws they had to enforce. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could tell them what he had decided, there was a heavy pounding on the door and Aileen jumped a mile in fear.

“Milord, your father has instructed us to search your room along with all others. There is a thief running through the castle walls and she must be caught,” a guard’s heavy voice called out.

The trio inside the room shared equal looks of frozen terror until it was Robb who broke the silence.

“Get under the bed,” he breathed.

Aileen glanced to Jon as though uncertain if she should listen to him and Jon gave her a quick nod.

With that, she darted under Robb’s bed and without further hesitation, Robb called the guards inside.


	2. Duty versus Morality

**Nine Years Later**

She took a deep breath and pulled the arrow as far as the string would allow. She was tense despite knowing it would likely be her downfall but she couldn’t help it, she could feel a pair of eyes clinging to the back of her neck like dried on mud sticking to her feet despite countless washes.

Another shaky breath and she knew she was going to miss just based on how her fingers were trembling around the arrow.

“Relax your bow arm,” a distant voice called.

The arrow then slipped from her fingers as she jumped and missed the bullseye entirely, even shooting over the target itself.

“Damn you!” Aileen snapped, clenching her jaw as she spun around and found none other than Robb Stark waltzing towards her with a smirk.

“You have been practicing for three years and you are still absolute shit at handling distractions,” Robb observed with a chuckle.

“I’ll get better,” Aileen huffed. 

“It’s not as though you can get any worse,” Robb laughed and Aileen hit him in the stomach with her bow before marching past the target to retrieve her arrow.

As she picked it up, she stood slowly as her green eyes traced the walling of the Winterfell castle up to the second floor where she met the Tully blue eyes of Catelyn Stark, the woman’s jaw set and clear fury burning in her gaze before she turned and marched away.

Aileen let out a shallow breath as she marched back to Robb. “I don’t think I’m completely to blame for that slip-up,” she murmured and Robb frowned.

He followed her gaze just in time to catch the back of his mother before she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

“She’s hated me ever since I was properly caught in the castle and your father spared me,” Aileen huffed and Robb rolled his eyes.

“Just pay her no mind. It’s not as though she can do anything to harm you,” Robb shrugged. He took the bow and arrow from her and strung it up himself quickly readying himself to shoot.

“That’s easier said than done when she is around every corner I turn,” Aileen muttered.

“Do you want me to talk to her?” Robb asked, sparing a quick glance towards Aileen before he shot the arrow and landed in the outermost ring.

“No,” Aileen sighed. “While it may help it’s also much more likely it makes things worse and I’m barely allowed to be on the grounds as it is. I’d rather not give up the few privileges I have while I have them.”

Robb shrugged and passed the bow to her while she plucked another arrow out of the barrel and moved to stand in the same place and position he had been in. She strung up the brow and took a deep breath, tensing up as she felt Robb’s eyes on her.

“You’re still too tense,” Robb huffed. He moved to wrap his arms around her and tapped her bow arm a few times until she started to relax. “Remember what I told you.”

“‘Any weapon you wield is an extension of yourself, if you treat it like nothing more than a weapon then that’s all it will ever be’,” Aileen quoted with a soft sigh. “I remember, I remember.”

She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes before shooting. Her eyes flickered open just in time to see the arrow right on the bullseye.

“Yes!” Robb exclaimed with a laugh and she grinned as she high-fived him. “That’s all you have to remember, don’t think too much and let the weapon feel like it’s a piece of you, with that you can never lose.”

Aileen smiled softly as she stared up into his bright blue eyes. “Thank you for training me all these years,” she muttered. “I know you did not have to, but-.”

“It’s fine,” Robb assured her with a chuckle as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You know I can’t exactly say no to you.”

Aileen beamed up at him, but before she could say a word, a voice booming over the courtyard spoke and interrupted the pair of them.

“Robb!” Ned Stark called out to his firstborn. “I need you to go collect Jon and Bran for me, a deserter has been found from the Night’s Watch.”

“Yes, father,” Robb replied, firmly nodding towards his father.

Without another word, Ned Stark turned and marched away and Aileen was left staring after him with wide eyes and unease clenching her stomach.

“He can’t be serious,” Aileen breathed. “Bran is only ten-years-old, he can’t see something like that.”

“It’s not my place to decide,” Robb shrugged dismissively, marching over to the target and grabbing their arrows to place back in the barrel.

“Yes, but you’re twenty-years-old, Robb!” Aileen exclaimed. “Are you honestly saying you have no right to at least debate with your father on something like this?!”

“I don’t, because at the end of the night he is the Lord of Winterfell and my father and I’m just his son,” Robb sighed. 

“But you’re so much more than the first born son of Ned Stark. You and Jon are probably the only two people who understand what needs to be done for the good of the people,” Aileen persisted as he marched past her, not even looking at her while he dropped the arrows in the barrel.

“I understand what needs to be done, but that doesn’t mean I can do anything about it,” Robb huffed, finally spinning around, but only to glare at her. “There are a thousand hurdles I must jump over if I want to do anything now and when I’m the lord that number will only climb.”

“You say that like it’s supposed to stop you,” Aileen scoffed. “Just because the road is hard you should not stop moving,” she frowned, imploring him to see reason as he had done so many times before.

Robb simply sighed and shook his head. “I can’t talk about this right now, I have to find my brother’s.”

“Fine,” Aileen snapped. “Just go off and watch some poor man be beheaded and when you come back, I won’t be here,” she said, spinning around and marching away.

“Aileen,” Robb moaned. “Aileen!”

“What?!” Aileen exclaimed, spinning around and throwing her hands up in the air as she glared at him. “What do you want me to say? That I’m okay with this? That I don’t feel like pure shit every time I was you put duty over morality?! Because I do, Robb,” she sighed. “It kills me knowing one day, despite my best efforts you’ll still likely end up ruling Winterfell in the same manner your father has.”

“My father is a good man!”

“Which is what you say every time you justify how his laws have left me,” Aileen huffed. “I owe your father so much and I respect him, I really do, but I hate seeing you grow into him and you know that. I just can’t stand to see one of my best friends fall right into the mold that has been prepared for him since before birth.”

“What the hell else am I supposed to do?!” Robb cried.

“You know what you’re supposed to do!” Aileen snapped. “Try not agreeing with your father on every little thing because I know you don’t share every single belief as him. Show everyone, not just me, how you are going to be different from him and show them why that’s not a bad thing. Is that so bloody hard?”

“It is easier said than done and you know this,” Robb murmured, staring down at his feet rather than meet her burning eyes.

“Yes, well maybe next time you can actually show an effort when your father invites a child to a damn beheading,” Aileen huffed, turning on her feet and marching away, leaving Robb alone- his chest tight with guilt.

Robb squeezed his eyes shut and internally kicked himself for always leaving things like this with her whenever his father made a decision and he followed blindly.

Just as he did so, a low whistle had his eyes snapping open once more and his eyes ran across the courtyard until he spotted Jon standing there smirking knowingly at him.

“She’s not going to let up,” Jon reminded him. “It’s only going to get worse as time passes.”

“I wish there was some way I could do what she asked of me without father and all the lords of the North being disgusted by me,” Robb muttered. “But every time I even begin to contradict him he just gets this look in his eyes-.”

“And you’re afraid,” Jon surmised with a nod.

“I’m not afraid!” Robb snapped, his emotions reacting before his brain could realize the truth behind his brother’s words.

Jon snorted as he noticed and simply nodded to the man as he clapped a hand on his shoulder and stared off to where Aileen had marched away. “Yes, you are,” Jon sighed. “And frankly, I would judge you if you weren’t. Father can be intimidating, but with every passing day you get closer to being Warden of the North and everybody here knows you don’t plan on leading Winterfell in the exact same manner father has done, so you’re going to need to start showing people the changes you would like to make sooner rather than later.”

“Everybody here knows?” Robb frowned. “Even father?”

Jon chuckled and shook his head. “Out of all, I said that’s what you pick up on?” He smirked. “Yes, I overheard father and Lady Stark talking of you. He said he knows you intend to make changes but seem far too afraid to carry through with them.”

Robb winced and hung his head. Even his own father thought he was too afraid to go through with what needed to be done.

“I should apologize to her, shouldn’t I?” Robb implored, raising a brow at his brother.

“That would be ideal,” Jon nodded, chuckling softly. “You know she cares about you, all she wants is what’s best.”

“Yes and quite frankly I’m surprised she hasn’t abandoned me as a hopeless case by now,” Robb hummed and Jon laughed.

“She’s nothing if not persistent,” Jon agreed. “Now, go,” he said, shoving the man a few feet forward and making him stumble a bit. “She usually waits for you to come running after her for ten minutes or so before she kidnaps Arya and runs.”

“She waits for me?” Robb repeated with furrowed brows and a frown. “Why have you never told me this?”

“Because she told me the day you come and look for her on your own she’ll actually gain some kind of hope that you won’t turn out like father and yet, something in me says you need to find her today so as long as you don’t tell her I told you we should be just fine,” Jon smiled before turning and walking away. “I’ll go collect Bran so you have time!” He called over his shoulder before rounding the corner and disappearing.

Robb took a deep breath and nodded. He could do this. After all, he’d had more than enough practice apologizing to her and groveling at her feet.

Ever since she had been twelve and he fourteen, she held him in the highest regard he thought she was capable of. She knew he was the future of the North and capable of so much more compassion than the laws of the North allowed and so she always persisted in trying to show him just how much he could achieve if he put in the effort for the North.

It was frequently far more than Robb thought he was worthy of because of how absolutely terrified he was of meeting conflict with the lords of the North due to his changes. He hated it, but he wanted to be loved and respected and he didn’t have a complete understanding of how to do that without being just like his father.

That alone was the source of many arguments between himself and Aileen. She knew he could be great on his own with his own laws and he didn’t know if he could himself to believe that.

Still, he was endlessly grateful for her remaining by her side even as he constantly ignored many of her suggestions out of sheer terror. 

He would never admit it to her, but somewhere as they grew up together amidst the sneaking across the castle, games they played together, and hiding away in his room during the long nights- he had developed feelings for her. 

He started to realize it around his seventeenth nameday and it just became another fear he was unsure of how to face.

That fear only increased a year later on the day she had been caught sneaking into the castle because he recklessly assumed his parents had gone to bed before they actually had. 

It had been one of the more severe storms to hit Winterfell and Aileen wasn’t safe alone in the tiny old home her mother had once owned. She came to the castle shivering and desperate and as Jon had already gone to bed, he took responsibility in bringing her inside and giving her a warm place to sleep.

Usually, they snuck through the back and took the corridor on the opposite end of the castle from the bedchamber belonging to his parents. It was a long path to his bedchambers but it was worth it to avoid being caught.

However, that night he assumed his parents had gone to bed early and it was safe to use their corridor. Tired and worn out from the walk to pickup Aileen in the storm, he opted for the quicker route to his own misfortune.

It took about a minute for his parents to head down the corridor and spot their firstborn son holding tightly onto the hand of a street urchin, bringing her inside their castle walls.

That night, rather than a warm bed she slept in the dungeons and Rob didn’t sleep at all. The next morning, Jon endlessly screamed at him for being so reckless and Robb couldn’t do much else but agree. Neither of them was allowed to see Aileen as she confessed to stealing food and occasionally blankets from the castle for seven years. 

Catelyn Stark immediately called for her execution, but Ned Stark openly voiced his uncertainty with his children.

She was just barely of age and most of her thefts had taken place when she was no more than a child. 

He wanted to cut off both her hands and then let the matter lie.

Once he made that announcement, Robb jumped up at the dinner table and frantically, desperately pleaded with his father to let imprisonment be her only punishment because he was in love with her.

That confession had hung in the air for what felt like centuries before Ned took a deep breath and nodded.

Her crimes would not leave that room and nobody would know of him sparing her life, but she would merely receive imprisonment as a punishment.

Catelyn Stark was furious and left the table after he told them his decision and Robb’s heart swelled with a joy he had never felt anything like.

Aileen Harrison was imprisoned in the dungeons and treated like a common prisoner for six months before Ned Stark allowed her release on the grounds that she would never enter the castle again and she only visits the grounds three days a week to receive her food.

Robb raked his hands through his wild curly brown hair as he remembered the way Aileen’s eyes had remained trained on him as his father passed the sentence.

He had thought for so long that she was angry with him for his recklessness being the reason she had dealt with the harsh confines of a prison cell and yet when he finally found the courage to talk to her she admitted she had never once been angry.

_ “You and Jon helped me stay alive for seven years and you truly think I could be upset with you for slipping up once? I knew the risks the day I started stealing food from the wealthiest people in Winterfell and yet I continued to do it. I stayed and I, an orphaned whore’s girl, became friends with and fell in love with y-,” she shook her head. “I could never bear any ill will towards you. That’s a promise.” _

Robb took a shaky breath as he kicked some stones in his path. He wondered if she felt the same way after all the fights they’ve shared these past two years.

He rounded the corner and smirked as he found her tearing into a loaf of bread. 

She spotted him and grinned largely, her mouth full of bread, as he marched up to her. 

“Maybe, there is hope after all,” Aileen hummed. “You’ve found me.”

“I wasn’t aware there were doubts,” Robb hummed and Aileen chuckled.

“Just a little voice in the back of my mind telling me I’m foolish for trying to help the next lord of Winterfell, but I have been telling him to hush for nine years now so I doubt he’ll do you any harm.”

“That’s good to know,” Robb smiled and Aileen simply nodded as she tore into more bread. Robb took a deep breath and dropped his head back against the wall of the castle. “Look, I am sorry for all these arguments over the future. They’re pointless and I know your advice is wellfounded but I can’t get over this fear that the lords and people may not admire and respect me as much as my father if I change things.”

Aileen watched him as he spoke, her brows furrowing as she digested what he said. “Robb,” she sighed. “You know that’s a risk you’re going to have to take as the lord don’t you?”

Robb smiled softly. “It’s starting to sink in, yes,” he nodded.

“You don’t have to spend your life riddled with concern about what people will think of you because if they really dare to hate you so much for making things better then they were people you were never going to have on your side,” she shrugged. “You can’t force people who are determined to hate you, love you.”

Robb grinned as he stared down at her. There were countless days when he wondered how the gods could be totally fair and just when he cared for this woman so deeply and would never be able to hold a future with her.

“How did you get so good at giving this advice?” Robb wondered.

“I grew up giving advice to two stubborn boys and teaching their younger siblings,” Aileen said simply and Robb snorted.

“If mother and father knew how often you took care of; Bran, Sansa, Arya, and Rickon I’m sure you’d have a place in the castle.”

“Doubtful,” Aileen scoffed. “But it’s a nice thought. I don’t believe Lord and Lady Stark would be enthralled about placing the girl who robbed them for seven years officially with their youngest children.”

“Ah, we can dream,” Robb hummed and Aileen laughed.

“That’s all we’ve got,” Aileen nodded.

“Robb!” A voice yelled and they both turned to see Jon on the other side of the castle holding Bran’s hand and wildly waving for Robb to come with him. 

Robb sighed softly and pushed himself off the castle wall. “I suppose that’s my cue.”

“For Bran’s sake I hope it’s quick,” Aileen murmured. “I remember my father’s execution and the head rolling aftermath is the worst part.”

Robb nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. See you soon,” he said, waving goodbye to her.

Aileen smiled thinly and nodded as she waved. “Yeah.”

~~~

They returned just past noon while Aileen was carrying Arya across the castle grounds on her shoulders.

The little dark haired girl had a heavy coat on and was toting a wooden dueling sword Aileen had borrowed for her.

“Okay, jab!” Aileen cried and Arya jabbed roughly only for the sword to slip a bit from her fingers. “Remember to keep a tight grip, not too tight but not so loose that the sword slides from your fingers.”

“How am I supposed to do that?!” Arya exclaimed.

“Grip it so that you’re holding it strongly but not so much that your knuckles turn white, does that make sense?” Aileen asked.

There was a beat of silence as Arya readjusted her grip, then a breath, then, “yeah, I think I’ve got it.”

“Okay, jab again.”

Arya jabbed and this time, the sword didn’t fall from her fingers, nor did she cry out in pain because she remained too tense while jabbing. 

“Good job!” Aileen exclaimed, holding up her hand to high-five the twelve-year-old.

Arya giggled victoriously. “I did it!”

“What are you teaching my little sister, woman?” Robb called, amusement in his voice as he climbed down from his horse and marched over to them.

Aileen spun around to face him and smiled. “Okay, Arya,” she said, tapping the girl’s foot. “Time to get down.”

“But-.”

“No, ‘but’s’,” Aileen sighed, grabbing the girl’s waist and lifting her off her shoulders, over her head and placing her down onto the ground. 

“Who am I supposed to practice with?” She pouted.

“Go see if Jon is willing to practice for a little bit and around supper, we’ll practice some archery,” Aileen swore and with that promise, Arya’s face split into a large grin. 

“Okay,” Arya nodded frantically.

The youngest Stark woman was just about to run off when Robb stopped her in her tracks.

“Ah ah, before you do, I have a little surprise for you,” Robb said and Arya’s eyes grew.

“I like surprises,” she muttered, marching back a few steps so she could stand by his side.

“Father and the rest of us found a dead direwolf in the woods on our way back, however, her children had miraculously survived,” Robb hummed, telling the story like it was some fairytale Arya would hear before bed. “Now, you may be wondering, what could be done for these poor little direwolves with their mother dead and that answer is fairly simple.”

With that, he pulled a beautiful grey and white pup from under his coat.

You’d have thought Arya forgot how to breathe.

“It’s-I-It’s… mine?” She gasped.

Robb smirked. “And yours alone,” he nodded.

Arya stood up on her toes and reached for the direwolf, but Robb held it just out of her reach.

“Before you take her, father had some rules. These direwolves are not little silly pets, they can attack people and seriously harm them so you will need to train her. Also, you will need to feed her, bathe her, take her out for walks and take care of her completely. Father does not want these to be his or our mother’s responsibilities and that means it’s not the responsibility of the servants either. If this direwolf dies you have to buy her.”

Arya listened to him with wide eyes. For a moment they could see her resolve waver, but by the time Robb finished speaking there was a determined glint in her eyes and she nodded.

“I’ll take care of her,” Arya assured him.

“Are you sure?” Robb implored, knowing full well father would have his head if he gave one of the direwolves away to a sibling that wasn’t ready.

“I am,” Arya said firmly.

Robb smiled. “Good.” Gently, he passed the direwolf down to Arya for her to hold in her arms and Arya grinned wider than either Aileen or Robb had ever seen. “What do you want to name her?” Robb asked and Arya furrowed her brows as she pet the direwolf.

“In classes, we learned about this woman from Dorne- a queen?” Arya implored and Robb frowned. 

“What’s her name?”

Arya thought for a moment as she tried to call it to memory and eventually, her eyes grew wide as she remembered. “Nymeria,” she breathed. “I’m going to call you Nymeria,” she beamed down at the wolf and Aileen and Robb shared a grin. “What about you?” She asked. “Did you get one?”

“Yes, though I have no idea what I’m going to call him yet,” he sighed. “I’ll decide on that later,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Go let Nymeria play with her other siblings,” he instructed and Arya smiled before running back to the castle.

Once she was gone, Aileen walked up to Robb while he sighed. “That was sweet.”

“It was either adopt the direwolves or let father kill them and-.”

“You disagreed with him?” Aileen frowned. 

Robb smirked. “Jon and I got him to save the direwolves, now all I have to worry about is everyone keeping them alive,” he chortled and Aileen snorted.

“They’ll do great,” Aileen assured him with a nod. “I’m just glad you worked up the nerve to say something,” she said and before he could respond, she pulled him into a tight hug.

As she hugged him, she heard the frantic wailings of a small animal in his coat and she jumped back. “What in the seven hells was that?!” Aileen cried and Robb chuckled.

“I guess the secret is out,” he sighed.

He pulled out a mostly grey baby direwolf from his coat and held it out to her.

“She was sort of separated from the litter, nearly drowned in the bloody water but I caught her. Everyone else has one and Theon wanted to keep this one, but I figured you were a better fit,” he told her with a small smile and she felt her heart leap out of her chest as she ran into his arms once again.

“I’d love to have her,” Aileen breathed, holding onto him tightly and he grinned as he hugged her back. “Just please don’t expect a present in return because I have absolutely nothing,” she said and Robb laughed.

“I don’t. Quite frankly, she should be for you with your eighteenth nameday just past regardless of anything else,” Robb shrugged.

Aileen pulled out of the hug and grinned at him. “You’re too good, Robb Stark.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d go that far,” he frowned.

“I would,” she smiled as she pulled the direwolf into her arms. “I think I’ll name her Athena. When I was a little girl my mother used to tell my stories of imaginary gods and goddesses and Athena had always been my favorite.”

“Well, if you need food for her or blankets you can always come back to the castle,” Robb offered. “I think you don’t have much back home.”

Aileen beamed at him. “Robb Stark, if I wasn’t certain your mother is watching us I could kiss you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before someone says something bringing canon into question, the Greek gods don't actually exist I included them sure but as nothing more than fairytales simply because the comparison between Athena and Aileen worked really well.


	3. The King's Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF RAPE OF A MINOR AND FORCED PROSTITUTION
> 
> In case you haven't noticed if you were reading this story before, I deleted almost everything and redid it (even the story name) because I just wasn't happy with the way the story was going before. It was too slow and lacking too many details and this is progressing much better.
> 
> Also, in this chapter, Jaime Lannister mentions a woman he loved but could not have. This is going to be referencing the OC in another story my friend is making. Once it is published I will leave a link. The second part of Aileen's story will show her interacting with my friend's OC quite a bit.

For the first time in years, Aileen Harrison had been called into the castle and of all the people to do it- the very woman that had gotten her banned from the castle was the one to call her.

She always had a deep appreciation for irony. 

Aileen was brought to Lady Stark by Jory Cassel, captain of the guards in House Stark. 

She endlessly toyed with her clothes along the way, knowing the rags she donned normally would cause Lady Stark to turn up her nose and unable to fight how self-conscious she felt over it.

Normally while spending time with Jon or Robb her attire wasn’t something she needed to fret over but something about the Lady of Winterfell, or even at times her daughter Sansa, just made her feel like she wasn’t good enough to be marching across the halls of the castle as friend to many of its inhabitants. She hated that they had this power over her and yet she knew as a peasant whore’s girl there was nothing she could do about it even if she wanted to.

She was essentially at their mercy now that they knew of her presence.

“She’s just inside,” Jory said, nodding to the closed door they stood before and Aileen took a shaky breath.

“Just so I have an idea, how bad do you think this is going to get?” Aileen wondered, not bothering to glance back at the brown-haired man for fear of his reaction being too extreme for her to handle.

“Well, she’s not throwing you back in the dungeons if that’s what you’re worried about,” Jory sighed. “I think she just wants to talk.”

“Talking isn’t exactly a comfort when talking can lead to her banning me from the grounds for life,” Aileen huffed. “But I appreciate the effort.”

Jory smiled softly and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll need it,” Aileen murmured and with that, she opened the large door and headed inside to the office that Ned usually claimed unless he was away and Catelyn had taken his place.

She sat in the center of the room as though she were center stage at some grand show. She didn’t crack a smile or appear even slightly pleased at Aileen’s presence as so many in the household do whenever Aileen arrives.

Rather, she just nodded solemnly towards a chair on the other side of the desk she was sitting behind.

“Sit,” she instructed and Aileen wasted no time obeying.

Pulling the chair out with a loud screech on the wooden floor, she plopped down and turned to Catelyn Stark with wide eyes.

“Do you know why I have called you here today?” Catelyn implored with a single, patiently raised brow.

“To my knowledge, I haven’t done anything against your rules recently so unless you’re here to place even more rules on me I honestly can’t say, milady,” Aileen answered honestly and Catelyn clenched her jaw.

The woman had never enjoyed the frank and irritated tone Aileen felt so free to use around her. 

“I’m not sure if any of my sons have told you, but the King and his royal court are to be arriving quite soon from their long journey here on the King’s road. His Grace has important matters to discuss with my husband and we are uncertain of the exact length of their stay but one thing is for sure.”

“I can’t be here,” Aileen huffed, leaning back in the chair and glaring at Catelyn. Now that she knew she wasn’t being barred from the grounds indefinitely, she felt free to openly express her contempt for the Lady of Winterfell instead of crying out injustices in fury if the woman had tried to keep her from her friends. 

“Don’t act as though this could be a surprise,”  Catelyn hummed. “I’m sure you know we can’t have you wandering around the grounds with the royal family walking within these walls. It would set a horrible image of the North.”

“What? A citizen of the North would set a horrible image of the North?” Aileen scoffed. “After all these years you really are still just a Tully girl, aren’t you? A foolish little foreigner who doesn’t understand how free and honest the North really is and at this rate, likely never will.”

Catelyn’s eyes flared and Aileen saw her clench the arm of the chair as though fighting back making a fist or some other rude gesture towards the girl.

“You would do well to hold your tongue and remember who you’re speaking to,” Catelyn hissed. “Don’t make me remind you of your station.”

“Ah, yes, my station,” Aileen hummed. “As though anybody else in these walls cares about that.”

“They will when they take over the North and suddenly having a street urchin running amock in their castle walls doesn’t seem so appealing when they need the lords of the North to take them seriously,” Catelyn said and Aileen’s gaze hardened.

“They would never do that,” Aileen murmured.

“It is the way of the world, my love,” Catelyn sighed. “And since you have no claims nor fortunes, you will likely live and marry within your station. Your children will be lowborn and perhaps they may rise in their marriages but you will most assuredly not live to see your family rise very high if it ever does happen.”

Aileen clenched her jaw and shoved her chair behind her, standing to slam her hands down on Catelyn’s desk and make the older woman jump for a split second before composing herself.

“If you make another move I can assure you I will send the guards in here and you will be banned from the castle grounds for a lifetime,” Catelyn warned, her voice falling dangerously slow.

Aileen took a deep breath, her chest heaving as she clenched her eyes shut and willed herself not to cry while Catelyn’s words danced around in her mind.

“I wanted to like you when Jon and Robb first told me of you, I truly did,” Aileen insisted. “But over time as Jon told me all the horrid ways you have treated him and I heard you call for my execution and openly talk in disgust of my friendship with your family, I can honestly say I haven’t the faintest idea how you sleep soundly at night. I try to be a good person because I know how it feels when the world shits on your head but if you cannot afford me the same courtesy I don’t want you to waste time feigning kindness around me. At the very least I ask for the respect of you being honest in your hatred of me because I know I will never stop spending time with your sons and if they cast me aside then so be it. Jon has kept me alive all these years and I’m unashamed to say I’ve developed feelings for Robb and I know my time with them is limited and a life beyond this is virtually impossible, but as this is my life now I plan on enjoying it, and I won’t let anyone stop me from doing so. I will stay away to the best of my abilities with the royal court is in Winterfell but afterward, you will not be able to keep me away. So, I suggest you either learn to accept it or execute me because if you have the guards bar me from this castle I can assure you I will be dead within a fortnight.”

Catelyn listened to her with a clenched jaw and when she finished, the woman sighed softly and glanced down. “Very well,” she muttered. “When the time comes I will allow Robb to choose when he casts you aside but until then I suppose I cannot bar you from these grounds. However, you do plan on staying away when the King is here?”

“The royal court will not even see my brown hair, milady,” Aileen promised with a solemn nod.

Catelyn took a deep breath and nodded. “Good,” she said. “Jory!” She called out and moments later, the door swung open.

“Yes, milady?” 

“Please escort Miss Harrison off the grounds.”

“As you wish, m’lady,” Jory gave a small bow before offering his arm to Aileen.

She gladly took it and he walked with her off the castle grounds.

~~~

The king arrived two days later and the entire day he was there, she stuffed herself away in her one-bedroom home crawling with pests and mites just so she may keep Lady Stark pleased.

However, when night fell and she saw the lights inside the castle burning bright as laughter and loud cheering rang out across all of Winterfell, she decided to sneak onto the castle grounds while they were all drinking themselves into a stupor.

She didn’t plan on creeping inside the castle to steal something for herself or try and snatch someone away so she felt less alone on the cold summer night, but rather she just wanted to use the grounds to practice her archery and hopefully burn away some time.

Aileen knew all too well she stood a large chance of being caught going against Catelyn’s orders, but if she stayed tucked away from the crowds and the royal court she may just be able to get away with the excursion.

Quite frankly, she just didn’t want to sit in her tiny infested home amidst the mind-numbing silence much longer.

If practicing archery until dawn was the only way she could cope without risking being banned from seeing her friends again, then so be it.

She sat out there for a while with the muted laughs and drunken stumbles keeping her company as she tried to do as Robb had instructed and tune them out, allowing the weapon and her to become one.

She managed to land quite a few shots, but it wasn’t good enough for her tastes.

Out of her twenty shots, she landed five bullseyes, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted to grow as good with a bow and arrow as Robb or Jon were with a sword and five bullseyes were nice but if she was hitting a moving target she would stick far less.

So, with a curse, she marched to the target to collect all her arrows, hardly noticing the heavy boots falling behind her in the mud until the voice spoke out to her.

“It’s not bad,” the man remarked. “For a woman.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Aileen strung up an arrow and aimed it right

between his eyes.

The man she was aiming at had shoulder length golden locks, somewhat tan skin telling her this stranger could only be from the South, a nice face that was sure to make all the Southern girls swoon, and the golden armour of the King’s guard. 

Aileen narrowed her eyes at him and lowered her arrow only slightly when she spotted his armour causing him to chuckle softly.

“You’re not as clever as you look if a simple suit of armour causes you to yield,” the man observed and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“I am clever enough to realize that there’s a very high chance if you truly are a member of the King’s guard and I shoot you there’s no ending that works out in my favor,” Aileen huffed, carrying all her arrows back to the barrel he stood beside and tossing them in. “Now, do you mind telling me who you are and why in seven hells are you watching me shoot?”

The man simply smirked and held out his hand. “Jaime Lannister.”

Aileen winced. “You’re the Queen’s twin brother,” she said, glaring at his outstretched hand rather than shaking it. “And the Kingslayer if my history is right.”

Jaime rolled his eyes and retracted his hand. “Yes, that’s me, and you’re just a lowly peasant girl shooting on the castle grounds because…?” He implored, raising a brow at her.

“Are you writing a book about your stay in Winterfell, Jaime Lannister?” Aileen retorted.

Jaime frowned. “No, I suppose not.” 

“Then you have no need for that information. I’m not hurting anybody, I’m not stealing anything, tottle along back to guarding the drunken king and leave me be.”

“Oh, you’ve got quite the bite, haven’t you?” Jaime smirked and Aileen rolled her eyes as she strung up another arrow. “I knew a girl like you once. Of course, the pair of you look nothing alike. She had silver hair instead of brown and she-,” Jaime glanced back to Aileen and found her staring at him with a small frown. He faltered when he realized she was actually paying attention to him. “I-It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled.

Aileen brought down her bow and watched him carefully. “You were in love with her but you weren’t allowed to be with her.”

Jaime narrowed his eyes at Aileen, rapidly appearing suspicious rather than understood by her solemn words. “How did you- Where did you-?”

“Nobody told me Lannister,” Aileen scoffed. “I can see it on your face. I know that look all too well because I’ve worn that look far too many times.”

“I imagine that look comes far more often to a person of your…  _ station _ .”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “If you want a confidant to share your sob stories with be my guest but if we’re going to start down the road of cheap and unnecessarily rude comments I have more than enough stored away for the pretty little Kingslayer so please be my guest.”

“And here I thought all peasants were sickeningly gracious people,” Jaime hummed, observing her with a smirk.

“I am but I’m also not going to lay down and let some golden fleabag bully me over something I have no control over,” Aileen huffed. “I grew up on the bloody streets I know how to defend myself.”

“Well then, I suppose I’ll leave you to figuring out how to defend yourself,” Jaime chortled as he backed away and Aileen rolled her eyes once again at the idiotic Lannister.

“You know maybe if you brought down the pomp about a hundred levels I could start to like you, Lannister,” Aileen hummed and Jaime stumbled as he backed away.

“You- What?”

“I’m just saying,” Aileen shrugged as she turned to face him. “You seem like someone who’s only this big of an arse because of your circumstances. You have to be this big of an arse to survive on top in King’s Landing and I get it, I do, but if you could figure out how to drop all of that in an ordinary conversation with a girl who doesn’t mean anything I might grow to respect you,” she informed him with a small smile.

Jaime seemed so utterly blindsided that with wide eyes, he fumbled with his words for a good few minutes.

Unfortunately, his inability to speak was not at all aided when a small grey and white direwolf came bounding into the castle grounds toting some black leather gloves in her mouth.

“Oh, it took you long enough,” Aileen moaned as she knelt down and plucked the gloves from the wolf’s mouth.

She slipped them on while Jaime continued to stare at the wolf, seemingly not even blinking as he struggled to find words to express his utter shock.

“Is that- Is- You-?!” He muttered, pointing back and forth between Aileen and Athena helplessly.

Aileen giggled and pat Athena’s head lovingly. “It’s alright, Lannister, I’m sure you can say the word direwolf without collapsing.”

“Where in seven hells did you find a direwolf?!” He cried and Aileen only laughed harder.

“I didn’t find her, the Stark family did, but that’s a completely different story,” she sighed and turned back to string her arrow up in her bow. She smiled softly as she string of the arrow felt much easier to hold with the gloves stopping it from slicing up her fingertips.

“There hasn’t been a direwolf south of the wall for centuries!” He exclaimed. “What is it doing here?!”

“The direwolf is a she, Lannister, and her name is Athena,” Aileen corrected him as she let the arrow fly- hitting a perfect bullseye.

“Okay, what is  _ she  _ doing here?!”

“I dunno, why don’t you ask her?” Aileen shrugged, stringing up another arrow and letting it fly. Not a perfect bullseye. She cursed. “Oh, wait,” she snorted. “Do you know how to speak wolf?” She implored, raising a brow at the Lannister while he glared at her.

“So, you’re really not going to tell me how she was found.”

“Nope,” Aileen sighed. “But I am going to give you a fair warning because all the Stark kids have wolves too.”

“Six direwolves?!”

“Seven actually, Jon Snow- the bastard, has one as well,” Aileen smiled, stringing up another arrow and shooting a perfect bullseye once again.

“You’ve got to be joking, I highly doubt seven direwolves can be recovered this far south of the wall,” Jaime huffed, crossing his arms and glancing away from Aileen as she shot another bullseye.

“Don’t believe me, ask any of them,” Aileen shrugged. “Or better yet, ask Ned Stark, he’s the one who allowed them to keep the direwolves.”

“You know what? I just might,” Jaime sighed. “Because one thing is for certain I will not be helping look after six direwolves on the trip back to King’s Landing.”

Aileen’s face fell and she felt her stomach drop as she shot another arrow and landed on the outermost circle as she spun around to Jaime. “What are you talking about?”  She breathed and Jaime frowned at her.

“What, you don’t know?” Jaime asked and Aileen frantically shook her head. “The King didn’t just come here for a friendly visit. He came to ask Ned Stark to be his new hand.”

“What happened to the last one?!” Aileen exclaimed, throwing her hands desperately into the air as her mind began to spin rapidly and turn into jello.

Jaime paled and swallowed harshly.  “Jon Arryn died of an illness,” he muttered, not daring to meet the eyes of the girl as he spoke.

“Shit!” Aileen snapped, kicking the barrel full of arrows and cursing again when she stubbed her toe.

Jaime snorted as he watched her grab her foot and hop around furiously.

“What’s the big deal? It’s not as though you’re going to be forced to uproot everything and move down South. I highly doubt you’d do very well there anyway,” he shrugged and Aileen shot a glare at him as she rubbed her foot.

“The big deal is some of my only friends are in that damn house and if they leave with their father everything could change. Arya could be forced into training to become a proper lady, Robb would have to get married to some stuck up woman from the South I just know he’ll hate and who knows what’ll happen to Jon. He’ll probably get bullied or taunted relentlessly just because of how he was born.”

“You do realize none of this makes any difference whatsoever to me, right?” Jaime implored with a raised brow.

“Yes, I know you’re the cold and ruthless Kingslayer, frankly I don’t really care, I need to talk to Robb,” Aileen huffed, tossing her bow down and marching towards one of the many entrances into the castle.

“Hold on!” Jaime hollered. “I’m not supposed to allow anyone inside,” he said, running up and standing in front of her with his hand on his sword. 

“Oh, shove off,” Aileen said, gently pushing his shoulder away. “I’m not going in there to ransack the place or murder the King. If it makes you feel better I’ll even ask Robb to come outside to talk.”

Jaime watched her carefully for a moment before taking a deep breath and hanging his head. “If I let you in there and Catelyn Stark finds out.”

“Oh, she’ll have my head, not yours” Aileen shrugged. “Rest assured your golden mane will live to fight another day,” she chuckled, patting the back of his head gently before marching towards the door. 

She swung it open and easily swerved past the servants bustling in and out of every door to get food to the royal visitors. She made her way to the Great Hall where she found the fat King Robert Baratheon sitting on the table with a wine goblet in one hand and the breasts of a woman Aileen knew well as one of her mother’s closest friends- in the other. Aileen rolled her eyes as the woman feigned laughter while Robert bounced her breasts in his hand. She then quickly pulled him into a snog and Aileen found herself having to turn away.

That was one of the many tricks her mother’s friends had taught her when she had come to the whorehouse seeking shelter from the women her mother had invited over often. She thought they would take care of her and keep her safe from the rough streets of Winterfell, a place entirely unsuited for a little seven-year-old girl. For about a week they did just that. They fed her, gave her a bed to sleep in, and took care of her free of charge.

However, after her first week staying with her mother’s friends in the whorehouse, they began demanding that she make her own pay for food and clothes. There was only one way they saw fit for her to do that.

They began selling her off to old men who did things to her she didn’t understand or enjoy.

She didn’t realize until she was much older than her mother’s “friends” had sold her maidenhead off to the highest bidder when she was just eight-years-old.

She couldn’t sleep for weeks after, feeling like she was nothing more than an empty shell. Aileen had grown up hearing Catelyn Stark explain that your maidenhead is the most precious thing you can give away. Only when your husband takes it from you are you truly married.

She listened to the whispers of higher noble women insulting and taunting women who lose their maidenheads before marriage, claiming them to be nothing more than used laundry that no man could ever enjoy.

She supposed she should be lucky, at nine-years-old after she had passed around to a good quarter of the old men at Winterfell she finally found the strength to try and fight back. Of course, it didn’t work out too well because of her small stature and the man’s towering frame but Jon Snow stepped in before she could be seriously harmed and claimed she was his sister.

He and the man got into a lengthy argument before the old man stormed back into the whorehouse demanding a refund and she was finally,  _ finally _ free.

When she realized the gravity of just what had been done to her Jon was the first person she told and without a moment of hesitation, he not only accepted her but helped her cope. 

After him, Robb was the second and only other person who knew. He, of course, grew furious when he found out and offered to have every woman in that whorehouse arrested as well as granting her whatever she needed to help her move forward with her life.

These men were the only two people in the world she trusted with her life, and so the idea of them leaving sat like a ton of rocks deep in her stomach.

She ducked away from sight just as one of the men in the royal court stumbled out of the Great Hall with another one of her mother’s friends on his arm. 

Luckily, she was about as drunk as her companion and didn’t notice the eighteen-year-old girl cowering in the corner.

Once they disappeared up the steps, Aileen peered back into the great hall and caught sight of Robb just as he marched up to his uncle with a large smile painted across his face.

“Uncle Benjen!” He cried in delight and Aileen smiled quickly before ducking away, planning to wait and let him finish his conversation with his uncle.

Robb had told her countless times of how he wished he could see the man more but understood why he often kept away for his duties on the Night’s Watch.  She wasn’t going to jump in and weep over him leaving when he was getting a tiny moment with his family. She scarcely felt capable of putting herself before him, or any of the Starks, even if she wanted to.

She took a deep breath and moved a couple of paces away from the wall so she could better see if Robb had finished speaking to his Uncle Benjen, but as she did so a small figure tripped over her and cried out in pain.

Aileen’s head whipped around fast and her eyes grew wide as she saw Arya pushing herself off the floor and glaring at her.

“What in seven hells are you doing?!” Aileen exclaimed, pulling Arya off the floor and pushing her out of eyesight of the Great Hall.

“I couldn’t sleep,”  Arya huffed, crossing her arms and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“Couldn’t or didn’t want to?” Aileen retorted and Arya paled.

The little girl shuffled as she quickly tried to regain her composure after the woman so quickly and easily uncovered her ruse. “It hardly matters because I want to be in there!” Arya called, trying to peer around Aileen into the Great Hall to which Aileen shoved her small head away. 

“Arya, I’ve been around since you were three,” Aileen smirked. “I know when it is time for you to sleep and right now is well past that time.”

Arya’s face fell. “But I wanted to bring Nymeria out to try and scare Joffrey!” She exclaimed, grinning as though that would convince the older woman. 

“You’re not going to use your direwolf to scare the prince,” Aileen scoffed. “Come on,” she moaned as she picked Arya up off the ground and allowed her to drape her legs over her shoulders as she sat down, drumming on top of Aileen’s head as she typically did when she didn’t have a sword in hand. 

“Father says Sansa might marry the prince,”  Arya announced and Aileen winced.

“I’m sure she’s pleased to hear about that,” Aileen mumbled.

“Jon said he thinks she’s just too happy about it because it means she’ll have to leave Winterfell even though I overheard him saying to Robb that he was considering going to the wall.”

“What?” Aileen paused, frowning as she looked up at the little girl. “Since when?”

“Since two days ago,” Arya shrugged.

“Ugh, the things I miss when I am gone,” Aileen moaned, carrying on marching up the steps to Arya’s bedchambers.

“If I leave for King’s Landing with father will you still help me practice fighting?” Arya wondered and Aileen sighed softly.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to, Arya.”

“But why not?” Arya frowned. “Surely, if I ask enough father has to let you come with us.”

“Even if he was alright with it, your mother would not be,” Aileen mumbled. “I don’t work for your family and I’m not a blood relative of your family so I can’t exactly hop along for the journey. Bringing me along would cast a bad image on the Starks.”

“But you’re as much our family as Jon or Theon,” Arya insisted. “Why would that cast a bad image.”

“Have you seen Jon anywhere around the Great Hall tonight?” Aileen scoffed. “Or Theon for that matter? Your mother knows what the royal family should see and bastards and peasants aren’t exactly part of that list.”

They reached Arya’s bedchamber and Aileen peered inside to make sure nobody had taken the bed as a free invitation to bring one of their whore’s into. When she saw it empty, she sighed softly and started to pull Arya off her shoulders.

“That’s rubbish!” Arya exclaimed as Aileen placed her down on the ground.

Aileen chuckled softly and escorted Arya into the chambers. “I’m afraid it is, but that’s how tradition goes.”

“Fuck tradition,” Arya huffed.

“Oi, Arya!” Aileen snapped. “Language!”

“But it doesn’t make sense, it shouldn’t matter where you came from when you’ve been in the family for as long as I know,” Arya insisted.

Aileen smiled softly. “I know, but sometimes there are some things people can’t handle changing and for the most part we just have to live with it.”

Arya’s face fell as she thought about Aileen’s words. “Does this mean I’ll have to be a lady and marry some lord like everyone says I must? Because people can’t handle it changing?”

Aileen’s eyes widened and she fell to her knees, meeting Arya’s eyes dead on as she grabbed the shoulder’s of the young twelve-year-old. “Gods, no!” She gasped. “You keep fighting that until you have no more fight left in you, then gain some energy and fight more. You should never have to marry and become some lady of another castle if you don’t want to.”

Arya grinned at her and without saying another word, she leaped into Aileen’s arms and hugged her tightly. 

“I’m going to miss you,” Arya whispered. 

Aileen smiled and hugged her back tightly. “I’m going to miss you too,” she muttered.

They remained like that for a few moments before, with a deep sigh, Aileen pulled away. “Now, we’ve got to get you back into bed. If you wake tomorrow positively exhausted your father is going to have your head,” she warned, making a quick slice with her finger across Arya’s neck and making the little girl giggle.

Aileen picked Arya up and carried her into her bed, pulling the covers over her so they covered her all the way up to her chin. Then, she tucked the girl completely in as her father did to her when she was a little girl because she kept climbing out of bed asking if the night had to end.

“Now,” Aileen sighed, placing her hands on her hips and staring down at the little girl. “I’m guessing Robb put you to bed since your door was left open.”

Arya grinned mischievously and nodded.

Aileen snorted and shook her head. “Well, I’m barring that door and your mother or father will come to get you in the morning which means until then you need to  _ sleep _ ,” she instructed, ruffling up Arya’s hair before marching out of the room.

“Good night, Aileen!” Arya called and Aileen smiled.

“Good night,” she said softly and closed the door. 

Then, she grabbed a plank of wood Ned Stark had to start leaving by Arya’s door to bar her inside when she was just five because she would run out every night to practice with the soldiers rather than sleep. Aileen used the plank of wood to bar Arya inside her room and then began to head back down the stairs.

On her way there, she bumped straight into the one man she had been searching for.

“Robb!” Aileen exclaimed and Robb winced as he rubbed his head.

“Not so loud,” he grumbled and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“What was it this time?” She sighed, grabbing his goblet and leading him up the steps. 

“Just one of those bloody nights,” he huffed. “I drank too much as usual, challenged him without thinking and he beat my head bloody with his sword.”

“Oh, gods, Robb,” Aileen moaned as she took notice of the blood dripping down his forehead for the first time. Her eyes followed the line of blood until she spotted the rough wound on the top of his head that was sure to leave a rude bruise in the morning. She sighed softly as she wiped the blood away and wrapped an arm around his back to keep him moving steadily. “Let me guess, you sobered up awfully quick after he did so.”

“Quicker than if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on me,” he chortled softly and Aileen smiled.

“You’ve got to stop drinking so much around other soldiers and knights,” Aileen huffed. “It was bad enough when you drank more than your father allowed growing up and challenged Jon.”

Robb chuckled roughly. “It’d have been easier on my head if it were Jon,” he mumbled. “Speaking of which, where is he?” He frowned, glancing behind him as though Jon would suddenly appear. “I haven’t seen him all night.”

“Catelyn got to him,” Aileen explained simply and Robb rolled his eyes.

“He’s got to stop taking everything she says so seriously,” he murmured. “After all, look at you,” he said, gesturing to Aileen. “Mother tells you to stay off the grounds while the King is here and the first night he’s here you pop up inside the castle.”

“You knew she banned me?” Aileen frowned.

“Yes, she told me, I’m guessing just after she told you and I tried to talk her out of it, but-.”

“You and I both know when Catelyn Stark makes up her mind there’s no stopping her,” Aileen chuckled. “Every single one of you gets that from her.”

Robb smiled softly. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Oh, you’re the worst of them!” Aileen exclaimed with a laugh and Robb grinned as he rubbed his head in pain at the loud sound. “Remember my seventeenth nameday when your mother banned you from seeing me because your family was going to see some relative in the North whose name I forget?”

“And then after you and I plotted for weeks on how to get her to change her mind, I eventually turned my horse around halfway there and rode through the woods so father couldn’t find me,” Robb smirked.

“I still remember you popping up on my doorstep the moment dawn rose, soaking from the rain and practically begging me to let you stay with me until your family returned,” Aileen chuckled.

“As though that worked out long,” Robb scoffed.

“Oi, it’s not my fault his lordship wasn’t comfortable in my tiny little home!”  Aileen exclaimed.

“It was easier to sneak into the castle anyway,” Robb huffed. “And with most of the servants gone we could practically do whatever we wanted.”

Aileen shrugged. “You’re not wrong there,” she hummed. She glanced up and frowned as she realized they had nearly reached the end of the corridor and Robb had not made where he planned to go clear. “Er, Robb?”

“Mm?”

“Where are we going?” She asked, laughing softly.

Robb smirked. “My bedchambers were occupied at the moment so I figured I would look up here for a spare room.”

“Ah,” Aileen nodded. She began glancing around for a door that was open and at the very end of the corridor on their right, she spotted a door that had been left open a crack. “Wait here,” she instructed, moving so Robb could lean against the wall as she inspected the chamber.

“Haven’t got many other options, have I?” He prompted with a small smirk and Aileen smiled sweetly at him over her shoulder before moved to investigate the chamber.

The door creaked open loudly and Robb cried out in pain from behind her. “Sorry!” She hissed as she peered into the room. 

Luckily, the curtains were drawn open so she could see the room by the light of the room and could clearly see it was empty. 

She grinned and headed back to Robb’s side. “It’s all clear,” she told him and he sighed softly in relief as she wrapped her arms around him to help him walk without stumbling to the bedchamber.

They headed inside and Aileen closed and barred the door while Robb kicked off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed. 

Aileen dumped his goblet into a thankfully empty chamberpot left behind and placed the goblet itself on the bedside table.

“Fair warning if you need to piss in the middle of the night you’re going to be pissing on some of your father’s best wine,” she chortled and all Robb could do was groan. “Oh don’t fall asleep now!” She exclaimed, clapping her hands and making him cry out in pain as he rolled over to face her.

“Father and the King want to go hunting by dawn, pray tell why I should not go to bed?” Robb wondered and Aileen smirked at him.

“If you want to wake up to a face full of blood be my guest,” Aileen shrugged and Robb winced.

He clapped a hand onto his forehead and groaned when he found blood was still dripping from his wound. 

“Can you help me wrap it up fast?” Robb implored and Aileen grinned at him.

“That’s my specialty,” she nodded, heading to the cupboard to grab some of the bandages and scissors Lord Stark left in all the guest chambers. “Wrapping it up properly and actually helping the wound is another matter in itself but I’m the girl to call for a speedy fix,” she chuckled and Robb beamed at her.

“You’re a gem,” he said and she laughed.

“And you’re likely still a little drunk,” Aileen said as she unfurled the bandages.

“No,” Robb frowned, furrowing his brows and wobbling a bit just like a drunk man might. “I mean it, you’re the loveliest person out there,” he said and Aileen grinned at him.

“That’s sweet,” she stated, not truly taking his words to heart for the obvious signs that he was still a bit tipsy. “But Robb?” She prompted as she began wrapping the bandages around his head.

“Mm?”

“Arya told me that Sansa might be getting married to the prince and I heard your father may be the new hand of the King and I was just wondering, erm, will you be going with them?” Aileen asked, biting her lips and fighting for her tone to seem inconspicuous but knowing she had failed grievously. 

Robb watched her carefully for a moment as he successfully dissected her and all her thoughts as he had been able to do since they were teenagers.

“You really think I would leave Winterfell and more importantly you for the bloody South?” He scoffed and she snorted.

“I wasn’t sure,” she shrugged, internally sighing deeply in relief as a hundred-pound weight lifted off her chest and allowed her to breathe again.  “After all, your father may very well insist that you go.”

Robb shook his head adamantly. “I already spoke to him about it. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell so I will be staying.”

“What about your mother?” Aileen wondered. “Wouldn’t she be a Stark in Winterfell?”

“My father loves my mother, but I think when he says that he means a Stark by birth. She was a Tully first,” Robb shrugged and Aileen frowned as she tried to digest what he said.

“I suppose that makes sense, but if you spoke to him, who else will be staying?” She asked as she cut the bandage and took the rest of the bandage and the scissors back to the cupboard.

“Bran and Rickon. He reckons they’re still far too young to go to a place like King’s Landing,” Robb shrugged as he shoved his coat off and onto the floor.

“So, just Arya and Sansa will be going?” Aileen assumed and Robb nodded. “Heh, Arya’s going to  _ love  _ being forced to go down South.”

Robb chuckled. “Yes, there’s definitely a piece of me that wishes I could be going with them just to see how Arya Stark deals with the South.”

“I think I’m more worried for King’s Landing than I am for her,” Aileen decided and Robb nodded furiously.

“Oh most definitely,” he agreed and Aileen laughed.

“Well, now that I can sleep tonight without waking up in a cold sweat, I’ll head out,” Aileen sighed.

Robb smiled softly, his blue eyes watching her steadily but not telling her eventually. Eventually, he took a deep breath and spoke barely above a whisper when he said, “good night.”

Aileen grinned as she unbarred his door and headed out. “G’night, Robb,” she murmured.

With a final sigh, she headed out and closed his door behind her. Dodging all the notable nobles who were likely too drunk to recognize her and the servants, she headed out of one of the back exits.

She passed the archery range in the courtyard where Jaime Lannister had once been but had long since vanished and smiled when she spotted Athena waiting patiently for her.

“Good girl!” She exclaimed, scratching the direwolf behind her ears in pride before continuing to march out of the castle grounds.

Just beyond the grounds, she found none other than Jon Snow furiously stabbing a dummy and drenched in sweat. He stepped back and wiped his brow and she smirked at him as she leaned on the small wooden fencing around the dummy.

“You think it’s dead yet?” She prompted and Jon jumped slightly before smiling at her.

“I’m guessing Lady Catelyn told you to keep out as well?” He implored with a raised brow and she shrugged.

“I went in anyway,” she said simply. “I hate that tiny house more than I fear Lady Catelyn.”

Jon shrugged as if to say  _ fair enough _ and jumped back into stabbing the dummy.

“You can probably go back in you know,” Aileen told him. “They’re almost all drunk by now and I doubt they would care. Plus, you might need to grab your bed before one of the nobles or knights steals it with one of my mother’s mates.”

Jon winced at the imagery. “I was thinking of getting a place in the inn regardless,” he shrugged and Aileen brightened.

“Oh, could I please room with you for tonight?” Aileen begging, clasping her hands together in a prayer gesture. 

Jon chuckled softly and nodded. “Sure,” he shrugged. With that, Jon tucked his sword away, pulling his coat closer over his chest and headed to the nearest inn with Aileen and Athena on either side of him.

“Brilliant,  because in the meantime I can ask you when the hell you got it in your head to join the bloody Night’s Watch?!” Aileen exclaimed, thwacking him on the temple as though she were his older sister and not nearly a foot shorter than him.

“Ow!” Jon winced, rubbing his temple and frowning at her. “What’s so bad about me joining the Night’s Watch?!”

“Besides the fact that you have to take an oath to stand on a freezing wall until you die?!” Aileen snapped, glaring at him and willing him to see her point.

“The Night’s Watch has been protecting the realm for-.”

“Oh, bloody horse piss!” Aileen moaned. “My dad used to call the Night’s Watch the second biggest joke of Westeros with the first being the fat King.”

“Well forgive me if I don’t take much stock in what your father says seeing as he was executed for thievery and treason,” Jon huffed.

Aileen turned to him with daggers in her eyes and Jon winced realizing almost immediately where he went wrong.

“Okay, I know that’s not what-.”

“I stole too, you complete arse. I was also a whore, and nearly executed for what I’d done, does that mean you don’t trust what I say?!” She snapped.

“No, no, I just-.”

“My father knew what he was talking about. Your experience in the Night’s Watch is limited to your Uncle Benjen and what you’ve read in books. My father knew people in the Night’s Watch and had friend’s there. He had letters from real men of the Night’s Watch and was offered a chance to serve on the wall before his treason charges.”

Jon’s face fell. “What?”

“Yeah, the Night’s Watch is almost made up entirely of criminals because nobody else wants to take the oath. More often then not it’s take the black or die. Most men choose to die.”

Jon took a shaky breath and wrapped his coat tighter around him. “Still,” he mumbled. “It’s good work and I’ll fit in better there than I ever could here.”

“You think you’ll fit in better amongst rapists and murderers rather than your own family?!”

“Think about it,” Jon sighed. “Many of the men who serve the Night’s Watch are bastards or disowned children sure some of them might be criminals-.”

Aileen feigned a cough. “Most of them,” she coughed.

“But here I’m the bloody imp of the family. There at the very least, I could serve amongst my brothers and men like me,” Jon sighed shakily and shrugged.

Aileen watched him carefully as he held the door to the inn and took a deep breath. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?”

Jon held the door open as Athena bolted inside the inn and hung his head. “I don’t think so. I just-I don’t fit in here anymore. I think Catelyn was the last straw that made up my mind for me.”

Aileen felt her heart sink as she eyed him. She didn’t want him to leave. They had been together nearly every day since they were nine-years-old and knowing she may never see him again broke her.

Still, she knew well enough to hold out hope that he would write her as many ravens as he could manage. With that in mind, she knew in her heart of hearts that she could never try and deny Jon what he wanted. If he had his mind set on becoming a man of the Night’s Watch all she could do as his closest friend was support him. 

She opened her lips to offer him her support when the old innkeeper groaned loudly and coughed as though he may be seconds from his death bed before speaking.

“You-,” another cough. “You can’t,” three more coughs. “You can’t bring any damn wolves in here!” He hissed before launching into a fit of coughs.

Jon and Aileen shared a bemused glance before Jon fished out the allowance Ned Stark usually snuck him from his pocket.

He placed a large number of coins on the table. “We’ll take a room at the top with two beds. The wolf won’t cause any trouble,” he shrugged. “You’ve started her training?” He clarified, turning to Aileen with a raised brow. 

“Yes, she’s slow but well behaved,” Aileen sighed, picking Athena up off the ground and petting her as the wolf licked her face. “Isn’t that right, love?” She cooed. “You’re a terrible runner but you know when not to piss on a bloody bed.”

Jon smirked and shook his head at the pair of them before turning back to the innkeeper who simply rolled his eyes. 

“Fine,” he huffed. “I’m too old for you kids,” he muttered, coughing roughly as he grabbed a key for them. “Here, make yourselves comfortable and if the damn wolf ruins anything in that room you pay for it.”

“Fair enough,” Jon nodded as he snatched the key off the table.

Aileen placed Athena down on the ground and the young wolf leaped up the stairs while Aileen and Jon followed closely behind.

“As I was going to say,” Aileen sighed. 

They reached the second floor and Athena began sniffing every single door they passed as though working out just who was inside. 

“I don’t love the idea that you’ll be gone for the rest of your life as I’m sure you already expected, but if it’s what you really want I’m happy for you,” Aileen told him with a small shrug and he grinned. “However, if you don’t raven me every week I will march up there to the bloody wall myself and give you what for,” she warned and Jon barked out a sharp laugh.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that you will.”


	4. Farewell Snow

The worst had passed. That’s what Maester Luwin kept telling them. The worst had passed and he could awake any day.

Of course, that didn’t stop Catelyn Stark from remaining glued to the chair by her child’s bed nearly every second of each day, furiously knitting and praying to her gods to save him.

The Stark house had practically crumbled the day Brandon Stark fell from the tower he had climbed and was found lying unconscious on the ground.

For the first few weeks they were all there, worrying themselves ill by his bedside and praying every second they weren’t with him but as time passed and Maester Luwin assured he was only getting better- they tried to carry on with their lives. 

Ned Stark worked more than Aileen had ever seen, spending every second working with King Robert planning out their journey to King’s Landing, discussing arrangements for his daughter’s wedding, or talking to the lords of the North about how they would proceed with matters while he was in the South.

Whenever Sansa and Arya weren’t in their lessons they began to spend all their time packing, even if Arya would sneak away every now and then for swordplay lessons with Aileen.

Jon too spent most of his time packing and when he wasn’t doing that, he was in the godswood or speaking to Uncle Benjen about what to expect when he arrives on the wall. He certainly wasn’t allowed in Bran’s room with Catelyn Stark to see how his little brother was doing. In fact, he was lucky if he was allowed in the same corridor with how frantic Catelyn was becoming.

Robb had sought escape from the castle every chance he got. He always gave some vague excuse about how hard it was to be there with every corridor so thick with emotion, but Aileen could see the truth the second he showed up at her home asking if he could spend the day with her instead of at home. 

He was scared. He was scared of being in that castle having to face the possibility that Maester Luwin could be wrong around every corner and knowing deep in his chest that his brother could still die.

Nevertheless, she never turned him away. She never forced him to face his fears. She knew he needed a distraction and she was more than happy to provide. She spent virtually every day with him from dawn to dusk.

Most days they’d spend practicing archery or swordplay and avoiding conversation about his family at cost. Some days, however, the discussion would slip in when Robb couldn’t take his mind off it for the life of him or Aileen would slip up and try to casually ask how bran was doing.

Regardless, of all the days the conversation could have wandered to his family she was far from surprised when Robb brought them up the day before his father and sisters were set to leave for King’s Landing.

He ran his fingers through his hair as she landed yet another bullseye and cheered for herself, bouncing up and down in pride as she twirled around to face Robb.

“Hey, come on!” She exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the bullseye. “Third bullseye in a row, I might  _ finally  _ be able to start giving you some competition here,” she told him with a chuckle.

Rather than congratulate her, Robb looked up with worn down eyes that made him appear much older than twenty and Aileen’s face fell.

“Hey,” she said softly. She walked over to his side and sat down beside him as she placed a gentle hand on his back. “It’s going to be okay.”

“That’s easy to say when you’re not there,” Robb muttered. “Father has not told me any of his plans for how Winterfell will keep running without him which makes me worry he’s going to try and leave them to mother and goodness knows she is in no state to manage Winterfell let alone the North. She can’t even seem to manage the rest of the family seeing as Jon just told me this morning he’s been having to check up on Sansa and Arya frequently to help them pack because neither of them has had to pack for such a long journey alone before and then there’s Rickon who follows me helplessly every second I’m within those walls because he has no idea what’s going on or what to bloody do!”

Aileen smiled gently and rubbed his shoulder. “Robb?” She implored and he looked to her with wide, frantic eyes. She gave him a comforting grin. “Breath,” she instructed and he took a long, shuddering breath. “Nobody is helped if you just add more panic and stress into the mix and you know that.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do?!” Robb exclaimed. “I didn’t exactly expect to have all the responsibilities of the North dropped into my lap so quickly.”

“And they won’t be,” Aileen said simply. Robb’s face fell and he turned to her with a small frown.

“What do you mean?” Robb asked. “If you’re saying I should let mother handle it I highly doubt she would be capable even if she left that damn room” he huffed. “Not that I blame her, but she’s just so locked in her worry over Bran she’s ignoring everything else in the world. Yesterday father had to physically pull her from the room so she could get some proper sleep not craning her neck in that bloody chair for once.”

“No,” Aileen assured him. “I know your mother can’t help you and if the circumstances were different I’d suggest Jon, but seeing as he’ll be leaving tomorrow as well I don’t want you to deal with this alone and that means one thing: I’ll help you.”

Robb’s eyes widened and his face morphed into a combination of shock and absolute elation as he let out a deep sigh as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. 

Nonetheless, as her words truly began to sink in, she could see him slowly start to tense up again and grow wary with worry.

“But I highly doubt the lords of the North will allow you to stand and tell them what you think should be done,” Robb chortled.

Aileen snorted. “I highly doubt they’ll allow a nobody whore’s girl to do anything in any castle except be thrown out,” she laughed. “But that’s not what I meant. What I mean is, I can take care of Rickon when you need or I can give you advice when you need it or I can help you pull your mother our of that bloody room if that’s what you want,” she smiled. “I can tell having to hold the weight of your entire family and the North is not easy and especially not when you have to do it so suddenly rather than having a bit more time to prepare so whatever you need help with I’ll be there.”

Robb stared at her with something she couldn’t quite name beneath his blue eyes. She assumed whatever it was meant he was happy because he was grinning at her wider than she had seen since Bran fell from that tower.

Aileen smiled at him and cupped his cheek, tracing her thumb across his cheekbone before standing and picking her bow back up. “However, no matter how many times you ask I refuse to clean the stables.”

Robb laughed sharply and shook his head. “No, I remember when we were children and the first time you walked into the stables you smelled it and immediately said ‘no’ and walked out.”

Aileen snorted and strung up her arrow. “I can’t help it that even the smallest bad smell makes me want to vomit!” She exclaimed. “I knew if I stayed in there much longer those nice black shoes your mother got you for your nameday would be covered in my breakfast,” she told him. 

She shot the arrow and jumped when it landed in the bullseye once again. “Four bullseyes in a row!” She cried. “If I get another I’m breaking your record,” she warned him and his face fell.

“Oh, no,” he hummed, jumping up and grabbing another bow. “I’ll eat your pigeon pie before I let that happen.”

“Oi, that’s my mother’s recipe!” Aileen snapped and Robb snickered.

“When we find your mother I’m going to have a couple of words for her,” Robb said. He strung up his arrow and immediately hit a bullseye. 

Aileen rolled her eyes. “Yes, we finally find the woman who just mysteriously vanished one day when I was seven and your first words to her will be ‘your pigeon pie leaves much to be desired’.”

“Well, it’s either that or have her imprisoned for child abandonment and endangerment,” Robb said.

Aileen was so caught between laughing and crying out in protest that she opened her mouth and just fell into a fit of rough coughing making Robb run over and gently pat her back to help her breathe.

“I-You-What?!”

“Oh, I mentioned the idea a couple of times to father once you told me what your mother’s friends did to you and he said it wasn’t a terrible thought,” Robb shrugged. He frowned when he saw her wide-eyed gaze fall down to the ground as she slowly processed his words. “Unless you’d rather I’d not, I-.”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Aileen assured him, raising a hand and shaking her head. “It’s just, I dunno growing up with you I always assumed that if we ever did find my mother I’d just be dropped back into her care and forced to deal with it. Especially if that time came around when you were lord of Winterfell because by then it’d be so easy to push me back into living with my mother while you marry some lady, have heirs, and move on with your life.”

“You think I would ever do that to you?” Robb asked softly.

Aileen glanced up to meet his eyes and was almost pleased that she found a mixture of shock and what seemed to be hurt reflecting in the ocean blue eyes she could drown in. 

“Your mother seems to believe that quite strongly,” Aileen muttered, her eyes falling down to her bare feet.

Robb scoffed and rolled his eyes. “My mother doesn’t realize yet that things are going to change when I take my father’s place as lord of Winterfell.”

“Have you told her that?” Aileen implored, looking up to meet his eyes only as they widened briefly and he took a step back.

“I-.”

“Robb,” Aileen sighed. “If you don’t want to marry some Southern lady and live in a marriage that only exists to make heirs you have to tell more people than me,” she smiled. “Though it is nice to hear every now and then.”

“I used to try and tell them all the time, but they just said the same thing they always say,” Robb huffed, raking his fingers through his hair.

“‘You’ll understand when you’re older’,” Aileen and Robb quoted in unison.

“Okay, but if you let the fear of them get you married to some Southern lady, so long as you keep me around I’ll be right there by your side telling you that I told you so,” Aileen warned him with a smirk and Robb chuckled. 

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he nodded.

“Now,” Aileen sighed, stringing up her arrow and pulling her bowstring back. “Let’s see I can break your record,” she grinned and Robb’s eyes widened.

“Oh, over my dead body!” Robb laughed, grabbing his bow and arrow and readying to shoot once again.

~~~

Aileen held her dress up just over her feet as she ran. She cursed herself a thousand times for oversleeping as she ran, clinging onto the far-flung hope that he had not left yet. By her side, Athena ran. The direwolf was clearly restraining herself so she could run by her master, but Aileen didn’t care. 

Her heart soared in her chest when she saw Jon heading out of the castle and despite the members of the royal court around and the large crowd, she made a beeline for her friend.

“Jon!” She hollered and with wide eyes, he dropped the saddle on his shoulder and opened up his arms while she jumped into them. When she slid out of his hug, she smiled at him for a solemn minute before her eyes moved downward and she caught sight of the discarded saddle. “You complete arse!” She shouted, smacking him roughly on the chest. “You were just going to leave without saying goodbye?! Damn you!” She yelled, continuing to smack him.

A gentle laugh began moving closer to them as Jon furiously fought to grab Aileen’s wrists and stop her assault.

“Come on now, Aileen,” Robb sighed. He picked up Jon’s saddle off the ground and wiped some of the mud off for him. “You gotta leave some of him left for the Night’s Watch to tear to bits.”

Aileen smiled softly and rolled her eyes as she stepped back. “Fine, but don’t assume this is me forgiving you,” she warned, wagging her finger at him like an angry mother.

Jon, with wide eyes, simply shook his head and raised his hands in surrender as he took a step back, assuring her that was the last thing he would do. “Can I at least get ready to leave though or do you need to yell at me some more?”

Aileen smirked and shook her head. “No, I think I’m alright for now.”

“That just means you’re going to get about fifty ravens about it later,” Robb assured Jon. Jon chuckled and nodded in agreement while Aileen rolled her eyes.

“I’m not that bad,” Aileen huffed.

“Oh, I’ve got about a hundred scrolls from when I left without saying goodbye or telling you I was leaving a couple of years back that beg to differ,” Robb scoffed and Aileen frowned at him. 

“If you keep all my scrolls solely to hold them as evidence against me I highly doubt I’m the neurotic one here,” Aileen hummed.

Robb paled and Jon barked out a laugh at the pair of them.

Robb rolled his eyes and with a shake of his head, he handed Jon’s saddle back to him. “Have you said goodbye to Bran?” He asked with a raised brow.

Jon sighed softly as he began marching forward towards his horse with Aileen moving to walk on his left and Robb on his right. He nodded absentmindedly, not daring to think too much about his rough goodbye to the younger brother that may very well die.

Robb seemed to read his mind because, in response, he shook his head. “He’s not going to die,” he assured his brother. “I know it.”

Jon chuckled softly. “You Starks are hard to kill,” he remarked and Robb snickered. “That includes you too,” he said glancing down at Aileen who giggled.

“Me?” She scoffed. “Psh, I’m going to live forever,” she said and the men laughed.

“Somehow I don’t doubt that,” Robb muttered and Aileen grinned at him.

“Can’t say the same for you. You’ll probably die doing something stupid like Jon here is planning on doing,” she chuckled as she clapped a hand on Jon’s back and Robb laughed.

Jon frowned. “I’m not planning to die doing something stupid,” he said and Robb snorted.

Robb barely fought to cover up his amusement while Aileen winced and used her hand to cover up her laughter. 

“Of-Of course,” she breathed, keeping her voice low so she wouldn’t break into a fit of giggles. “The Night’s Watch isn’t a foolish way to go. You are absolutely right,” she assured him and Robb clutched his stomach as he continued to laugh.

Jon just rolled his eyes and strapped his saddle onto his horse. “Well, when I die an old man on the wall and you two get yourselves into some stupid pub fights and get killed then we’ll see who’s really laughing,” he taunted.

Robb and Aileen both shared bemused glances, but Robb’s smile quickly fell when he saw his father alone watching Jon with what almost seemed to be pity in his eyes.

Robb cleared his throat. “Er, how was my mother?” He wondered and Aileen winced, expecting a ramble about how cold she had been to Jon.

It wouldn’t have been either of their first times hearing one.

However, instead, Jon just let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “She was very kind,” he mumbled sarcastically and Aileen’s eyes dropped. 

She and Jon knew firsthand how it felt to experience the disdain of Lady Stark and it wasn’t always easy to paint on a smile and put up with it, but they both knew better than to try and fight back against her in front of others or as of late, try and fight back while she’s distraught over the state of her son. 

“Good,” Robb muttered and Aileen rolled her eyes.

She elbowed Robb in the ribcage and Robb cried out in pain.

“What was that for?!” Robb exclaimed.

“You remember when we were kids and I told you how sometimes people say certain things ironically or without any actual meaning often to say the opposite of what is coming out of their mouth and show how upset they are over it?” Aileen prompted with a raised brow.

Robb frowned at her. “Yes, but-,” his eyes brightened as he realized what she meant, “oh!” He exclaimed and Jon laughed softly. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry.”

“It’s no big deal,” Jon sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t expect much else from her.”

“Still, you deserve better,” Aileen insisted, sparing an empathetic gaze.

Jon smiled thinly. “Thanks, but I doubt I’ll be finding that from Lady Stark anytime soon,” he hummed. “Nevertheless, without the pair of you I doubt I would have made it through her all these years,” he chuckled softly and Robb and Aileen shared a smile.

Jon hugged Aileen and she hugged him back just as tightly until he turned to Robb and the man gave him a small smirk.

“Next time we see you, you’ll be all in black,” Robb realized and Jon chuckled.

“It was always my color,” he shrugged and Aileen grinned at him.

Robb took a deep breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “Farewell, Snow.”

Jon nodded. “And you, Stark.”

They stared at each other in silence for a good minute before Aileen rolled her eyes at the pair of them. “Oh, for goodness sake stop acting all high and mighty and hug already!” She exclaimed.

The men glanced to her and laughed, initially seeming to dismiss the idea that they would hug as ludicrous, but the second the look back at each other- without a moment of hesitation, they pulled each other into a tight hug.

When they pulled apart, Robb searched Jon’s eyes for a moment and then, without saying another word; he sighed softly, turned on his heel, and marched away.

Aileen watched him with a grin before she glanced back at Jon and gave him a sad smile. “I’m going to miss you.”

“You’ll see me again,” he assured her with a short nod. “This isn’t goodbye until we die or anything.”

Aileen chuckled softly and nodded. “I’d definitely go mad if that were the case.”

Jon beamed at her and pulled her into another strong hug. “You’ll be fine here on your own,” he assured her. “I know it.”

“No, I won’t,” Aileen scoffed as she pulled out of his hug. “I’m going to have to rely on ravens and the rare visit to be able to cope with Catelyn and all this bloody madness,” she said, gesturing to the area around her. “I mean who else am I going to be bitter and drink too much with when Catelyn snubs me?”

Jon laughed and shook his head. “Is that all I’m good for then?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Aileen shrugged and Jon only laughed harder. 

“I’m sure Robb would be willing to drink with you when Catelyn upsets you,” Jon assured her.

“Maybe, but there’s a limit to that because she’s his  _ mother _ ,” Aileen moaned. “You’re not related to her!”

Jon grinned and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I remember when we were little before you met her you used to defend her all the time,” he hummed and Aileen rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, since you’re leaving you think it’s okay to bring that dark time up do you?” Aileen snapped and Jon chuckled.

“Well, you can’t hold a grudge against me for it, now can you?” Jon implored with a raised brow and Aileen rolled her eyes as he laughed at her.

“You’re not cute,” Aileen said and Jon laughed even harder.

“I am going to miss you,” Jon insisted and Aileen smiled up at him.

“Write to me as often as possible and maybe I’ll be able to cope with this,” Aileen instructed him.

Jon chuckled and pulled her into one last hug. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.

Before pulling completely out of the hug, he placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her forehead firmly. Aileen closed her eyes and willed tears not to well up in her eyes as he pulled away.

He gave her one last parting smile before he climbed onto his horse and without looking back, rode to meet his Uncle Benjen near the gate.


	5. Fire

She was awoken by a sharp knocking on her window and when she shot up in bed, she accidentally hit her head on that very window.

Groaning in pain, she rubbed her eyes to find none other than Robb laughing at her and wildly waving for her to open the window. She rolled her eyes and opened it for him before climbing out of bed to pull on some trousers and a coat.

“I need your help,” Robb said as he jumped up to climb through her window. “I need you to help me with Rickon.”

“For a man who has six younger siblings, you realize you don’t often act like it,” Aileen remarked as she pulled on her trousers. “What do you need?”

“He won’t stop following me around and asking about Bran, and if it were simple things like how he became injured or how he was doing I’d know how to answer them but he keeps asking about the rumors that Bran was pushed and if he’ll ever wake up and I’m not exactly capable of answering those without clearly lying to the boy,” Robb explained.

“Just tell him there’s no reason to believe he was pushed and the Maester says he could awake at any moment,” she shrugged as she pulled on her coat.

“That’s easy to say when you haven’t been faced with him asking that as well as when mother will return nonstop and refusing to; sleep, eat, or even bathe until he gets an answer,” Robb huffed as he leaned his head back against the wall. “And then I still have to keep the castle running and try to figure out what needs to be done with everybody taking all the matters to my mother instead of me.”

Aileen sighed softly and pulled on her leather gloves before turning to Robb. “So, I really do have to help instead of sleep, don’t I?”

Robb smiled softly at her, his happiness waning the clear exhaustion draining his blue eyes. “Please,” he muttered and Aileen grinned.

“Now, I can never say no to you or especially not to that face,” she said, cupping his cheek delicately and beaming at him. “Now, come on, I’m probably going to have to steal some of your father’s whiskey to keep me awake.”

“And they think you’ve stopped robbing us just because they know who you are,” Robb chortled.

“Oi, for the most part, I have!” Aileen exclaimed with a small smile that said otherwise. “I mean even if I do steal from you they usually know what I’ve taken,” she shrugged and Robb snorted.

“That doesn’t make it okay. You know that right?”

“Doesn’t it?” Aileen asked, raising a brow at him. “After all they are the ones who choose not to prosecute me even after they know I’ve stolen.”

“You’re not going to let up on the idea that you’re a good thief, are you?”

“Not in this lifetime,” Aileen chortled.

Robb chuckled and shook his head at her, but let the matter rest as he headed to her front door to leave.

“Do you think I can take Athena inside the castle?” Aileen wondered and the direwolf in question rose to her feet when she heard her name.

Robb frowned, staring at the direwolf for a moment as he thought. “Mother usually has the direwolves outside, but if you don’t let her see Athena it should be alright,” he shrugged.

“Brilliant,” Aileen grinned and with that, the three of them headed outside. “Hold on,” she frowned, pausing as she realized how far Robb had gone to get to her house. “Did you come all the way out here just to ask me if I could babysit your baby brother?” She asked and he snorted.

“Sort of,” he shrugged. He started walking again and Aileen quickly hurried to meet his pace. “I also sort of need your help with some of the jobs father left mother in charge of.”

“Why did your father leave Catelyn in charge when he knew what sort of state she was in when he left?” Aileen wondered, furrowing her brows as she gazed up at Robb.

“I’m trying  _ not  _ to acknowledge the fact that it was likely because he didn’t trust me enough to handle all of this,” Robb muttered, sighing softly.

Aileen’s eyes widened. “I highly doubt that’s the reason why,” she scoffed. “I mean sure, he might’ve seen it as too stressful to deal with but if anything he knows that you can handle your basic responsibilities. You’ve proved that countless times from just what I’ve seen.”

“Er, not exactly,” Robb winced. “Two or three years back I started seriously neglecting responsibilities and really just doing the bare minimum so I can see why he may not trust me with this yet.”

“Even if that were true, which I know it’s not, I’m sure Ned Stark can see that you know what needs to be done and can even ask for help- like you’ve done when you need it,” Aileen shrugged. “I’m sure he just thought your mother would recover in time to keep things from falling into a state of total disarray.”

Robb smiled softly at her and shook his head. “I’ll never understand how you always have this complete and utter faith in me when I’ve been known to screw things up quite often.”

“Because you never screw things up so badly, they can’t be fixed,” Aileen said simply. “Everybody trips up no matter who they are but there aren’t many people who can say they’ve only ever made mistakes so small they were easily fixed and quickly forgotten. You’re smart enough that you can. Yes, sometimes you’re guilty of trying to appeal to the majority or the highest ranking parties, but most people in your position do. The difference between you and them is you also try to listen to the minorities as much as possible. You’re trying to get to a position in your lordship where you can take what the minorities need of you and what the majorities need of you and find perfect compromises that keep both parties happy. You’re quite frankly one of the best people I know,” she told him and Robb stopped walking and turned to her with wide eyes as she beamed up at him.

“How is it I’ve gotten so lucky as to have someone as good as you in my life?” Robb wondered and Aileen giggled softly.

“I could say the same to you seeing as you and Jon are the only reasons I’m still alive right now,” Aileen reminded him.

Robb scoffed and shook his head. “I did what any man would’ve.”

“No, you didn’t,” Aileen chuckled. “That’s the whole point, Robb. Any man would have turned me in for robbery and had my hands cut off but you helped me. You let me stay with you when the weather was too bad for me to stay in that house without dying of illness, you fed me when your mother and father had me thrown in the dungeons and you’ve protected me more than even Jon has. You don’t think about it too much because you’re disgustingly humble but you’re a great man.”

Robb smiled softly, his eyes never drifting from Aileen’s green ones as his brain ran a million miles a minute trying to process everything she was saying. Half of him wanted to take her in her arms and kiss her senseless but he knew that could only end disastrously for both of them. So, instead, he pulled her into the tightest hug he could muster.

“You’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met,” he mumbled and Aileen grinned.

“I only told you the truth,” she sighed.

He pulled out of the hug and wrapped his arm around her. “Does this mean you’d be willing to take care of Rickon for the rest of the week for me?” He implored with a raised brow.

“Oh, I knew you’d find a way to use that against me!” Aileen exclaimed with a laugh as she shoved him away.

Robb chuckled and shook his head. “If that’s a no then I was only partly joking,” he assured her as he moved to wrap his arm around her once more.

“No, you weren’t,” Aileen scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

“No, I wasn’t,” Robb snickered.

“But regardless,” Aileen sighed. “I’ll do it. I hate myself, but I’ll do it.”

Robb glanced down at her with wide eyes and snorted when he saw her clenching her jaw as though she were internally kicking herself for the promise. 

“Oh, you’re the most remarkable woman I’ve ever seen,” Robb breathed, kissing her quickly on the top of her head as they continued to walk.

Aileen rolled her eyes and swatted him. “You’re only saying that because I agreed to watch the pest while you do all your bloody politics.”

“True, but if it helps we can swap jobs,” Robb offered and Aileen laughed loudly.

“Oh, nice try!” Aileen exclaimed. “I’d rather deal with a child asking a million and one questions about his unconscious brother than put up with a bunch of stuffy lords asking me questions about finances.”

“A world of politics and your one weak spot is the finances,” Robb chortled. 

“I hate finances!” Aileen cried, stamping her foot like an indignant child and making Robb laugh. “They’re so annoying if I had the sort of money you did I’d buy all the food I could, but then you say you need to give your money to all these people and then figure out how much you have from the taxes and then figure out the regular pay of the people in Winterfell and it’s just too much,” she moaned. “I can see why you all hire people to do this for you.”

“Yes, but then there’s always the potential of them getting it wrong or even stealing from you,” Robb warned. “So you can never really win.”

Aileen groaned. “See, I can figure out all the political maneuvering because I figured out how to survive in a whorehouse for three years when I was a child and have managed to negotiate with your mother for the past two years. The army is fairly simple with a little practice it’s easier to understand but the bloody finances are going to kill me.”

“Lucky for you, you don’t have to do them,” Robb hummed. “And my father spent years trying to instill just how the finances should be dealt with in me.”

“No, but you know me,” Aileen huffed. “I want to be able to do whatever you and Jon can do. That’s why you started teaching me archery and swordplay.”

“Yes, but you don’t need to know  _ everything _ ,” Robb assured her. 

“But I  _ want to _ ,” Aileen whined. She froze as she heard how that sounded coming out of her mouth and winced. She looked up to Robb and he gave her a pointed look. “Oh, that’s the fatal flaw, isn’t it?” She mumbled.

Robb chuckled and nodded furiously. “One day trying to do everything will get you killed.”

“But what’s your fatal flaw?” Aileen frowned. “Because it keeps changing.”

“Well, right now I guess it’d be that need to please everybody like you said,” Robb sighed. 

“Ah, well as fatal flaws go that’s not a bad one,” she remarked and Robb laughed.

“Well, the goal is to have no fatal flaws,” Robb shrugged.

“Now, you sound like me,” Aileen chuckled. “We’ve all got to have one fatal flaw, but it’s better to have a good one like trying to please everybody or doing whatever it takes to keep family safe even if it gets you killed. After all, the Mad King’s fatal flaw was craving absolute power,” she reminded him with a raised brow and Robb nodded.

“Good point,” he agreed.

With that, the pair of them headed into the castle and quickly caught up with Rickon as he ran out to them from the Great Hall.

“I tried to go into the room with mother after you left but she just sat staring at Bran looking sad and praying to her gods. I kept asking her where you’d gone but she yelled she didn’t know and I got scared so I ran out,” Rickon told them all, wincing after he confessed that he had been scared by their mother.

Almost immediately, Aileen whirled on Robb. “You didn’t tell him you were coming to pick me up?!” Aileen snapped and now it was Robb’s turn to wince.

“I thought I did,” Robb mumbled. “I’m fairly tired, Aileen, I’ve been managing the house all day.”

“So, you should have pulled me from archery practice!” Aileen exclaimed. She rolled her eyes as Robb simply shrugged his shoulders rather than offering her an explanation. “Come on, Rickon, do you want to play with Athena?” She implored. “You could run around with her a bit in the corridors before bed,” she offered and Rickon’s face brightened.

“Could I, really? Every time I tried to play with Shaggy father always said he wasn’t a dog to mess around with,” Rickon told her.

“Yeah, Aileen, have you really trained her well enough?” Robb murmured in her ear.

“I’ve walked her around town with countless children and ran with her and Arya and she’s never attacked. She’ll only hurt Rickon if I commanded her to or she saw me in danger, neither of which is happening,” Aileen explained. “It’ll be just fine,” she assured him.

Robb didn’t seem entirely convinced, but nevertheless, he nodded and Rickon beamed as he began running down the stairs calling Athena’s name and the direwolf quickly bolted after him looking positively elated at the chance to play.

“If that wolf attacks him, I’m going to kill you,” Robb warned and Aileen snorted.

“Has Grey Wind attacked anybody since you’ve had him?” Aileen implored and Robb’s face fell.

“That’s not the point,” he said briskly and Aileen laughed.

“That’s exactly the point. Those wolves are loyal to the people who raised them. I didn’t give her any command to attack and Rickon clearly wasn’t hurting me so she’s just going to play with him,” Aileen promised.

“And if you’re wrong?” Robb prompted with a raised brow and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“If I’m wrong you can claim all my worldly possessions,” Aileen swore.

“Oh, that’s practically nothing,” Robb moaned and Aileen barked out a laugh.

“Oi!” Aileen snapped, laughing as she swatted him. “I know it’s the truth but you don’t need to say it!”

“Another fatal flaw,” Robb pointed out. “You can’t accept the truth.”

“Please,” Aileen scoffed. “How is that going to get me killed?”

“Well, going off Jon’s logic you could get into a pub fight and even if you're outnumbered and completely outmatched for strength, you’d likely still fight and be killed,” Robb explained.

Aileen clenched her jaw. “I want so badly to argue with you, but you’re probably right,” she said.

Robb laughed and shook his head at her as they headed to Bran’s room. There, the door was already open and they spotted Maester Luwin inside standing across from Catelyn Stark likely trying to inform her of the jobs needing to be done.

“Oh, this isn’t going to be pretty,” Robb breathed.

“Poole went South with Lord Stark, m’lady,” Maester Luwin informed Catelyn. “We need a new stuart and there are several other appointments that require our immediate-.”

“I don’t care about appointments!” Catelyn snapped.

Aileen winced and Robb took a deep breath before stepping into the room. As Robb headed into the room, Aileen remained put in the doorway, knowing that with the state Catelyn was in, her reaction to Aileen’s presence could be much more extreme than it usually was and that was far from a good thing. “I’ll make the appointments,” he announced and Maester Luwin turned to him with a grateful smile. “We’ll talk about it first thing in the morning.”

“Very good, my lord,” Maester Luwin nodded. He turned to Catelyn and sighed softly. “My lady,” he said, and with that, he headed out of the room.

Before he could head out into the corridor, Aileen held up her hand to stop him. “If you could please draw up a list of the appointments that need to be made before the end of the night that would help very much, sir.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maester Luwin said courteously, nodding kindly to her before heading out into the corridor.

Meanwhile, Robb headed to the window and opened up the shutters so they could hear the distant barking and howling from the other direwolves outside. He let out a soft sigh and hung his head at the sound. “When was the last time you left this room?” He asked his mother who didn’t even bother to look away from her knitting.

“I have to take care of him,” she replied absentmindedly, nodding to Bran as though he were still in the dire state they had found him in.

“He’s not going to die, mother!” Robb snapped. “Maester Luwin says the most dangerous time has passed,” he reminded her.

“What if he’s wrong?!” Catelyn exclaimed, her voice thick with emotion. “Bran  _ needs  _ me,” she insisted.

“Rickon needs you,” Robb retorted, glancing over his shoulder to glare at her. “He’s  _ six _ . He doesn’t know what’s happening. He follows me around all day, clutching my leg, crying. I’ve had to beg Aileen to come here in the dead of night just to help me take care of him because his mother is-.”

“Close the windows!” Catelyn cried. “I can’t stand it, please, make them stop!” She exclaimed, clenching her knitting needles in her fists as though they were all she had left.

Robb took a deep breath and turned back to the window, clearly about to close them when he caught sight of something.

Aileen leaned forward with a small frown as though she could work out just what he was seeing by his backside.

“Fire,” he breathed and Aileen’s eyes widened. He stumbled back a few steps, his eyes fixed on the fire as a bell began ringing outside. “You stay here, I’ll come back!” He called as he ran out of the room and grabbed Aileen’s arm. “It’s around your home,” he muttered.

Aileen sucked in a sharp breath and without a moment of hesitation she bolted after Robb down the stairs, past Rickon still playing with Athena, and out of the castle to the stables.

Robb pulled out a black horse and passed the horse to her while he pulled out his white one. “Here,” he muttered. “You can have her.”

“Whose horse is this?” Aileen frowned.

“Nobody’s,” Robb sighed. “She was the child of two horses here that have long since passed and apart from guest riders she hasn’t ever had an owner.”

“Can you help me?” Aileen asked as Robb placed the saddle on his horse.

He glanced over at her and noticing her struggles, quickly nodded. He grabbed a saddle and strapped it around her horse before giving her a leg up so she could climb on the horse. 

“Hold on,” Aileen frowned. “Does she at least have a name?” She wondered.

“No,” Robb shook his head. “I don’t think anybody has ever really bothered to name her.”

Aileen glanced down at the gorgeous black horse beneath her and almost felt sad for the nameless beauty. She took a deep breath and climbed back through her memory to try and come up with a name worthy of the horse. Eventually, she turned to Robb with a bright smile. “Let’s name her Aquila,” she decided and Robb smirked.

“I should have known you wouldn’t leave here without naming the horse.”

“Oi, she deserves a name!” Aileen exclaimed. “Plus it was the name of my grandmother so it’s a good one,” she assured the horse as she stroked her mane.

The horse neighed cheerfully and she grinned. 

“Well, now that we know Aquila likes her name can we possibly get back to the fire that may be destroying your home?” Robb implored with a raised brow.

Aileen snorted. “It’s not like it would be destroying much, but okay,” she said and they both took off riding towards the fire.

They had an easy time flying through the streets as they were almost entirely deserted, likely because half of Winterfell was by the fire investigating it.

When they arrived at the fire, it was actually fairly small. It was closed off to the woods behind Aileen’s home as well as a few other homes around hers but most of them were deserted. 

“Should we try to douse the fire,” Robb frowned.

“It’s not large enough to start gathering men to water it,” Aileen shook her head. “Best to close off the street for the night and keep a steady eye on it. If it progresses or grows ring the bells and begin gathering men.”

“But m’lady,” one of the people in the crowd- a young girl likely around Arya’s age, said as she tugged the end of Aileen’s dress. “What of our homes?”

Aileen glanced back at Robb in amusement. “I’m not a lady, my love, but unless a few men are willing to make the journey to the lake to douse the fire Lord Stark may need to evacuate the houses on the side of the street closest to the fire.”

Robb watched her with a small smile while she spoke to the little girl. He always enjoyed rare moments like those when she held herself and behaved more like a lady than many of the ladies he had the displeasure of meeting in the South. It was those moments when he could hardly will himself to believe that in the eyes of everyone else, she was nothing more than a filthy peasant girl. She knew how to lead and guide people as a proper lady should and if there weren’t a million people standing in his way, he’d help her show all of Westeros.

“I will volunteer to gather water for the fire!” One of the men in the crowd called out and Aileen smiled.

“Excellent, if we could get about five more volunteers to assist this man and Lord Stark gathering water, we can douse this fire in no time,” Aileen proclaimed.

“Hold on,” Robb frowned. “Since when was I helping douse the fire.”

“Since I said you were,” Aileen smirked and Robb snorted.

“Alright I suppose I’m putting out a fire now,” Robb sighed and Aileen giggled.

“Good choice,” she nodded.

After Robb’s name was thrown into the mix, countless men volunteered- far more than they needed, but Aileen was more than happy to accept all of them.

They gathered buckets and formed a line to the lake so they could pass the buckets of water down the line to the men by the fire. With the rapid progression, the fire was put out in a matter of minutes and everyone in the crowd cheered for the volunteers.

Robb wiped some sweat from his brow as he headed back to Aileen and she giggled at him as she passed his horse to him.

“My hero,” she hummed sarcastically. 

“Shut up,” he sighed as he climbed onto his horse. “I could have just let that fire burn out, you know.”

“No, but it was fun watching you tear off your coat desperately when the fire’s heat got to you,” Aileen chortled. “Are all Starks so intolerant to heat or is it just you because if not your father is going to have a rough time in the South,” she teased and he rolled his eyes.

“Are we going to keep this up the whole trip back or can we let it go now?” Robb wondered and Aileen snorted.

“Someone’s testy,” Aileen remarked. “But while you’re all exhausted, can I room with you tonight? I really don’t want to make the journey back by foot again,” she sighed and Robb groaned.

“Oh, I don’t care,” Robb moaned. “Just don’t kick me in your sleep like you used to. I’m going to bed as soon as my head hits that pillow,” he promised.

Aileen smiled at him. “You should have asked me to help you out earlier today and maybe you’d be less exhausted.”

“Do  _ not  _ give me an ‘I told you so’ right now,” Robb huffed and Aileen laughed.

“Can I give it to you in the morning?” Aileen wondered.

Robb placed his head on his horse’s neck and groaned loudly, only making her laugh harder at him.

They arrived back at the stables and after Robb put both of their horses back and unstrapped their saddles, he was clearly about to collapse. Aileen rolled her eyes and rushed up to his side just as he began to try and walk with his eyes closed. 

“Wrap your arm around me and if you put your full weight on me I will kick you the entire night,” she promised and he groaned as he did as she instructed.

Aileen walked him back into the castle, stopping only briefly to call Athena away from Rickon.

“What am I supposed to do now?!” Rickon cried.

“Go to bed, Rickon,” Aileen sighed. “After I put your brother to bed I’m coming to visit your room and if you’re not in bed you don’t get any sweets or playtime with Athena tomorrow.”

Rickon’s eyes widened and he jumped up. “Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled before immediately running up the stairs past them. 

Aileen chuckled softly as she watched him before her smile fell as she gaze wandered across the room. “Where’s Maester Luwin?” She wondered. 

“Does it matter?” Robb murmured. 

“I asked him to draw up a list,” she breathed but shook her head. “You know what? We can get it tomorrow, come on,” she said, walking him down the corridor to his room. 


	6. A Meeting In The Godswood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have seen the ending of Game of Thrones please be aware this story will NOT end the same way the show has ended. There will be two parts to this story as it will be split in half for the seasons and when I get to season eight it will be an entirely different story.

“What I am about to tell you must remain between us,” Catelyn insisted and Aileen glanced around with a small frown at the group.

Naturally, she had been curious when Lady Stark called not only her and Robb but; Maester Luwin, Rodrik Cassel and Theon Greyjoy as well to accompany her to some sort of meeting in the Godswood.

Robb and Aileen shared a look both silently trying to decipher from the other what this could be about. They knew Catelyn had grown distant ever since Bran had been attacked in his bedroom, but most had accepted that as simple fear. She had gone from spending every waking minute in the castle to rarely spending a second inside of it.

When she rushed onto the castle grounds during Aileen’s archery practice to ask Robb and her to come to the Godswood at high noon, they both admitted that was the most they had seen of the woman in weeks.

“I don’t think Bran fell from that tower,” Catelyn confessed and Robb and Aileen looked at each other with wide eyes. “I think he was thrown.”

“The boy was always sure-footed before,” Maester Luwin murmured to Rodrik.

“Someone tried to kill him twice,” Catelyn reminded the party. “Why?” She wondered. “Why murder an innocent child?” She took a deep breath. “Unless he saw something he wasn’t meant to see.”

“Or heard something,” Aileen proposed and Catelyn nodded furiously.

“But what?” Theon wondered as he glanced around the group.

“I don’t know,” Catelyn said simply as she shook her head. “But I would stake my life the Lannisters are involved. We already have reason to suspect their loyalty to the Crown.”

“Did you notice the dagger the killer used?” Rodrik prompted as he unsheathed the dagger to show the group. “It’s too fine a weapon for such a man. The blade is Valyrian steel, the handle dragonbone,” he explained. “Someone gave it to him.”

“They come into our home,” Robb muttered and Aileen placed a hand on his shoulder. She knew he could easily let his temper get the better of him and overreact before they knew enough. “And try to murder my brother?” He spat. “If it’s a war they want-.”

“If it comes to that you know I’ll stand behind you,” Theon assured him and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“What?” She scoffed. “Is there going to be a battle in the Godswood?” She wondered, raising a brow as she looked between the two men on either side of her. “We don’t know enough about this yet to start plotting the murder of the Lannisters right here and now. Think before you act because you know if you run into this fueled by emotion you’ll only get yourself killed by men who are thinking clearer than either of you,” she snapped at the men.

“She’s right,” Maester Luwin nodded. “Lord Stark must be told of this,” he said, turning his focus to Catelyn.

“I don’t trust a raven to carry these words,” Catelyn shook her head as she sighed softly.

“I’ll ride to King’s Landing,” Robb offered and before Aileen could even open her mouth to stop him, Catelyn beat her to the punch.

“No,” Catelyn said. “There must always be a Stark in Winterfell,” she insisted. “I will go myself.”

“Mother, you can’t,” he scoffed.

“I  _ must _ ,” she persisted.

“I’ll send Hal with a squad of guardsmen to escort you,” Rodrik offered. 

“Too large a party attracts unwanted attention,” Catelyn dismissed with a shake of her head. “I don’t want the Lannisters to know I’m coming.”

“Let me accompany you at least,” Rodrik offered. “The kingsroad can be a dangerous place for a woman alone.”

Catelyn’s eyes flickered to Maester Luwin as though she sought his confirmation of this fact. He bowed his head in affirmation and when her eyes returned to Rodrik’s, she gave him a quick nod of acceptance.

“Well, what about Bran?!” Robb exclaimed helplessly and Aileen winced. The poor man was taking on so much and now he had to shoulder the duty of helping his brother recover when he awoke.

Catelyn watched Robb carefully for a moment before taking a deep breath. “I have prayed to the Seven for more than a month,” she muttered. “Bran’s life is in their hands now.”

With that, they all solemnly turned and began their trek back to the castle, but a little voice in the back of Aileen’s head kept her hanging back to talk to Catelyn.

“Lady Stark?” Aileen implored, turning to the woman with a small frown.

Catelyn furrowed her brows as she stared down at the girl. “Yes? What is it?”

“Why did you call me here?” Aileen wondered. “After all, I don’t think I’d be too farfetched in saying you pretty much hate me.”

“I don’t  _ hate  _ you, my dear,” Catelyn scoffed. 

“Okay, then a strong dislike that may as well be as good as hatred,” Aileen amended with a roll of her eyes. “Whatever the phrasing is, I’m not your favorite person in the world,” she surmised.

“What’s your point?”

“Why would you want someone you don’t like hearing about this?” Aileen asked. “I have no title or official place in the castle so you could have easily avoided letting me in on this information, so why bother?”

“Well, besides the fact that my son seems to spend every waking second with you know?” Catelyn implored with a raised brow and Aileen ducked her head as her cheeks burned pink. Catelyn sighed deeply. “I don’t particularly enjoy the fact that you’re here but right now we need all the help we can get and as much as I worry over your closeness with Robb, you’ve always proven to be loyal to House Stark and that’s exactly what we need more of if this house is going to survive.”

Aileen watched her as she spoke with wide eyes and when she finished, her eyes flickered down- still wide as her mind reeled from Lady Stark’s words.

“Wow,” she breathed and Catelyn frowned down at her.

“What is it?”

“It’s just,” Aileen mumbled and shook her head. “I’ve never heard you talk of how much you hate me in such a kind voice.”

Catelyn’s face fell. “Perhaps, I should have been more courteous when addressing you in the past, but you must know this doesn’t change anything between us. I still think it’s extremely dangerous how you and Robb interact and it’s only going to end in hurt if you continue.”

“Right,” Aileen sighed. “A temporary truce if you will.”

“Precisely.”

“Well, at least now I know not to get my hopes up,” Aileen hummed as she turned and began marching away. “Oh, and Lady Stark? For the first time it was actually sort of nice speaking with you, so thank you,” she called over her shoulder, granting the woman a thin smile as she marched away.

She spotted the party split in half with Rodrik walking by Maester Luwin’s side and Robb walking by Theon’s.

She ran up to Robb and Theon only to catch the tail end of their conversation.

“-fancy lords like you get mistresses? You could make her your mistress and-,” Theon froze when he spotted Aileen running up to Robb’s side.

“Oh, is he really having this discussion again?” Aileen moaned. 

“Surprisingly it’s not as vulgar as it used to be,” Robb remarked with a small chuckle and a nod. “He’s going soft.”

“What?” Theon frowned. “You told her what we’ve talked about?!” He snapped.

“‘Course I did,” Robb shrugged. “I’ve told her nearly everything since we were kids and that includes whenever I talk about her, but that’s just common courtesy.”

“Yeah, surprisingly Robb thinks I should know when his friends are telling him he should make me his mistress and fuck as many kids into me as he pleases,” Aileen snorted and Theon rubbed his hand over his face as he groaned.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I-.”

“Oh, I know how you meant it,” Aileen assured him. “And honestly? I’d like to be upset but I’m not even surprised you would say something like that,” she shrugged and Robb snickered.

Theon looked between them, anger morphing across his face as he processed their words. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” He snapped.

Aileen and Robb shared a single look and fell into fits of laughter while Theon only grew more upset with each passing second.

“No, seriously!” Theon exclaimed and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“Theon, you spend every spare second in some tavern or shagging any whore you can get your hands on. If anyone is going to tell Robb to make a female friend his mistress and fuck as many kids into her as he can, it’d be you,” Aileen explained and Theon’s face paled.

“Am I really that predictable?” Theon mumbled.

“Yes,” Robb and Aileen said in unison before laughing once more.

Aileen sighed softly as she watched Theon. She knew why he suggested her being Robb’s mistress if he even had an inkling of how she felt about Robb, but she would be damned if she was going to be Robb’s mistress. The position offered protection and quite a hopeful future for her children if she had any, but that wasn’t her. She wasn’t going to be just another face in the bunch forced to raise bastard children on her own. 

It would be degrading and dehumanizing for her to go from one of the most trusted friends of House Stark and the greatest ally to Robb Stark and Jon Snow to an occasional fling. 

Damn her name, damn her social ranking- if she was going to end up with Robb it was going to be as his wife.

If she didn’t end up with Robb then she’d probably end up being the wife of some burly blacksmith, but that was better to her than becoming just another mistress to the man she had grown up with.

With a resigned sigh, she turned her focus back to Theon and Robb as they began placing bets on how quickly Arya would begin turning down suitors the lords and ladies of the South try to sack her with.

~~~

Catelyn Stark left for the South the morning after their meeting and it wasn’t long until Bran Stark woke up from the sleep hardly anybody believed he would awake from.

However, despite Bran being conscious he was unable to leave the bed his bed on his own and according to Robb, he didn’t bother to hide how bitter he was over it. Brandon Stark had officially become a cripple thus destroying his dreams of becoming a knight in the King’s army in one fell swoop. What’s more, he stuck firmly to the idea that he had simply fallen off the tower for he claimed he couldn’t remember what happened just before his fall.

Robb was certain he was protecting someone with the lie, they just had to work out if it was truly the Lannisters acting alone or if they were aided or if there was possibly someone entirely different behind this.

With Bran remaining mum on the matter, the work only got more difficult.

Aileen ran her fingers through her hair and pushed it out of her face before plucking some of the papers off the desk Robb was sat at.

To keep from worn down by all the work that laid before him, he invited her to keep him company as he has so often done since Bran’s fall. However, she was unable to distract his mind this time for the work demanded his attention and all she could do was sit on the desk by his side and look through the documents with him.

“That’s how much the royal visit cost your family?!” Aileen exclaimed with large eyes and Robb nodded numbly.

“We need to cut costs if we’re to get that money back before I’m on my deathbed which means Bran’s not likely to get top of the line care in his recovery,” Robb sighed, taking the papers from her and signing off on where they would cut the costs.

Aileen watched him carefully as he continued to rifle through several other papers. “Did you really mean what you said back in the Godswood? You would go to war?”

Robb’s eyes flickered up to her, momentarily wide before his brows quickly furrowed in confusion. “Of course,” he shrugged. “I would do what was necessary, you know this.”

“Yes, but  _ war _ ?” Aileen frowned. “Do you really think it’ll come to that?”

“Do you think it won’t?” Robb retorted. “I mean after what happened to Bran I can’t see a future where we’re not going to war.”

“If that’s true, I wonder where that’ll leave me,” Aileen sighed, leaning back on her hands from where she sat on Robb’s desk. 

“You’ll come with us, of course,” Robb scoffed as though that were obvious, carrying on signing the documents.

Aileen turned to him with a small frown. “Do you realize the things that come out of your mouth or do you just think you have the luxury of making things happen because you say they will happen?” She wondered.

Robb snorted and shook his head. “No, I know what I said and I stand by it. If I end up taking the armies to war I’d do far better with you there than without,” he said simply. “Do you have a problem with that?” He implored, turning to her with a raised brow.

“Far from it,” Aileen muttered. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when everybody and their mother’s come objecting my presence.”

“And I’ll ignore the lot of them,” Robb shrugged, his eyes flicking to hers momentarily as he smiled. “I need you more than anyone else so whatever anyone else has to say really doesn’t matter.”

Aileen fought back the blush that crept up her cheeks as she ducked her head and smiled. There were so many times when he spoke like that to her and she just thought a future between them could be possible, but reality always quickly came crashing down like a wave when she realized just how unlikely it would be.

However, before she could even plan on responding, the door swung open and little Rickon came running in and jumped right up to Aileen.

Aileen chuckled, shaking her head at the boy as she picked him up off the ground and brought him onto her lap. “What is it, Rickon?” She asked with a small smile.

“Can I spend time with Bran?” Rickon asked, looking between her and Robb. “I want to tell him about playing with Summer and Shaggy the other day because Summer jumped on Shaggy and it was so funny, they rolled around together and I had to chase after them!” He exclaimed with a smile.

Robb smirked at his little brother. “As nice as that is, Bran needs to get all the rest he can.”

“Didn’t he rest enough?” Rickon moaned and Aileen tried and failed, to hide her laughter. “Besides, he’s not resting now. I heard Old Nan telling him stories just a few minutes ago. That’s why I came here.”

Robb sighed softly and looked down at his papers in defeat. “If he’s awake we need to bring him to the Hall to eat,” he muttered, bitter as he realized that so long as he was managing both his siblings and the household he would never be able to finish everything.

“I can do it,” Aileen offered, placing Rickon back on the ground as she stood up. “All I have to do is grab Hodor along the way.”

“Yes, but I need to ask him about the tower again,” Robb huffed as he pushed out his chair and began to stand.

“I’m not mute, you know,” Aileen chortled. “I can do it,” she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to coerce him to sit back down.

“No,” Robb sighed, sparing her a quick smile of thanks for her efforts. “It has to be me,” he said firmly.

Aileen studied his blue eyes for a few moments before taking a deep breath and stepping back as she nodded. There were some things Robb had to do or hear for himself and this was just one of them.

“C’mon,” Aileen groaned, picking Rickon back up off the ground to carry him. “We can walk to the Great Hall with Hodor and your brothers.”

“So, I get to spend time with him?” Rickon assumed, straightening as the bright smile fell back upon his face.

Aileen giggled and poked one of his dimples. “Yes, of course, you do,” she hummed. “Now, let’s go,” she nodded.

Aileen followed Robb outside and together they burst into Bran’s room assumingly right in the middle of one of Old Nan’s stories. 

Robb eyed Old Nan and Bran and sighed softly as he saw how wide and stricken his brown eyes were.

“What are you telling him now?” Robb muttered his voice heavy with exhaustion.

“Only what the little lord wants to hear,” Old Nan assured Robb with a shrug.

Aileen snorted. “What Brandon Stark wants to hear and what he should be hearing are two very different things,” she mumbled. She had learned very quickly that Brandon Stark had a pension for fear even when it wasn’t good for him. He enjoyed climbing the tower because it was a risk and scary, he enjoyed hearing scary stories to be frightened. He practically relished in the existence of fear.

Bran turned to sneer at her. “I just wanted her to tell me some scary stories,” he mumbled.

“Haven’t you already lived a story scary enough?” Aileen scoffed. “If I were you I’d hold back on all the scary things for at least a few more weeks,” she advised and she heard Robb snort in amusement.

Robb then sighed softly and shook his head. “Get your supper, Old Nan. I want some time with him.”

Old Nan nodded and promptly plopped down her knitting needles and headed out. 

“If it’s no trouble, Rickon, could you leave with her?” Rob requested and Rickon’s face fell.

“But I wanted to go to the Hall with Bran,” Rickon moaned.

“If you want time alone with Bran can’t he just wait outside?” Aileen suggested with a shrug and Robb furrowed his brows.

“Fine,” he mumbled. “But if you listen in you don’t get time out with the direwolves or Aileen today,” he warned and by the way Rickon’s eyes widened, he heeded the threat.

Aileen smirked at the sight and escorted Rickon out the door, leaving him in the care of some of the guards while she closed the door and locked it so Robb wouldn’t be interrupted. 

Robb took a deep breath and moved to sit by Bran’s side on the bed. “How do you feel?” He asked. “You still don’t remember anything?”

Bran simply shook his head. 

Robb sighed softly. “Bran, we’ve seen you climb a thousand times,” he reminded the boy as he nodded back to Aileen. “In the wind, in the rain- a thousand times. You never fall.”

“I did though,” Bran insisted. He furrowed his brows and let out a small breath. “It’s true, isn’t it? What Maester Luwin says about my legs.”

Robb’s face fell and he glanced back at Aileen, clearly silently petitioning for help. She took a deep breath and shrugged. They had to tell him the truth. It wasn’t as though they could hide the fact that Bran would be unable to use his legs for the rest of his life. 

Robb sighed deeply and turned back to Bran to nod.

Bran grimaced and looked away in thought for a moment. “I’d rather be dead,” he proclaimed.

“Don’t  _ ever  _ say that,” Robb snapped.

“I’d rather be dead,” Bran repeated, almost worryingly calm.

Robb winced and Aileen could see he was struggling with what to say. She clenched her jaw and pushed herself up from where she was leaning on the wall to approach Bran on the other side of the bed. 

“Now, why would you say that, Bran?” Aileen wondered as she sat down beside the boy. “Yes, your life is going to be a struggle from this point on, but would you rather have no potential future and die knowing your family and friends would be absolutely inconsolable and likely never recover?” She implored with a raised brow.

“It doesn’t matter,” Bran dismissed. “I’d be dead.”

“Yes, but do you not think it would matter to the living?” Aileen asked and Bran winced.

“They’d get over me eventually,” Bran muttered.

“I can assure you that your mother would  _ never  _ get over you,” Aileen scoffed. “On top of that, even if they did do you think they wouldn’t cry every time another nameday of yours passed with you not around? Do you think they wouldn’t stare up at that tower and curse it to the Seven Hells every day? Do you think they’d really be able to live out their whole lives without remembering little moments that bring them to tears?”

Bran furrowed his brows. “I don’t-.”

“You think you would rather die because becoming a cripple has destroyed your dreams of being a knight in the King’s army but I can honestly say your death would cut away the new future the gods have laid out for you and destroy the lives of your family and friends for the rest of their days,” Aileen told him. “Now do you want that?”

Bran’s face fell and he sighed softly. “No,” he mumbled.

“Exactly,” Aileen smiled, reaching over and brushing some of his brown hair from his eyes. “Now,” she sighed, messing his hair up once again and making him laugh. “Let’s go eat. I need some pigeon pie in me!” She cried, drumming on her stomach and making Bran laugh even harder.

Aileen hopped up off the bed and headed to the door to unlock it. She swung it open and nodded to one of the guards. “Collect Hodor so he can carry Bran to the Hall.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the guard said and with a quick nod, he headed away down the corridor.

Robb took a deep breath and headed over to her side, closing the door momentarily so he could speak to her privately. “Thank you,” he murmured in her ear and Aileen smiled.

“Don’t thank me, it’s my job as the girl who for some reason chose to sign on to help you that I should be able to do everything you can’t do,”  Aileen hummed. She sighed softly as she walked past him back to Bran. “And that seems to be quite a bit so I have my hands full.”

Robb snorted and shook his head. “Nevertheless, I’m grateful.”

Aileen grinned at him. “I know,” she sighed. “And for some reason that makes me keep doing it,” she said, glancing up at him and shaking her head aimlessly. How she fell so hard for this man so fast she’d never know but until he began dating someone else or took a wife, she’d likely never be able to purge him from her mind.


	7. The Visitor

“I must say I received a slightly warmer welcome on my last visit,” Tyrion Lannister proclaimed as he stood before Robb Stark and Maester Luwin.

The Imp was just as Aileen had heard, an Imp, and yet something about his demeanor made it seem as though he held himself to be much taller than he actually was. All she knew about Tyrion Lannister had come from Jon Snow and Robb Stark and they certainly had mixed feelings about the man, feelings which she was sure had only been marred by Catelyn’s announcement of the Lannister’s involvement in Bran’s fall.

Robb smiled kindly at Yoren, the man of the Night’s Watch Tyrion had brought back with him. It was a smile he did not turn to the Lannister man for even a second.

Yoren and Tyrion were stark contrasts from each other as Yoren was a tall, strongly built man with shoulder-length dark hair and olive skin whereas Tyrion was a short, pale man with short golden Lannister locks and yet- Aileen couldn’t shake the feeling that they strangely seemed to be familiar with each other.

“Any man of the Night’s Watch is welcome at Winterfell,” Robb announced, nodding respectfully at Yoren who, in turn, nodded his gratefulness.

“Any man of the Night’s Watch, but not I, eh, boy?” Tyrion implored, raising a brow in clear contempt.

“I’m not your boy, Lannister,” Robb snarled, glaring at the short man. “I’m Lord of Winterfell while my father is away.”

“Then you might learn a lord’s courtesy,” Tyrion scoffed.

Robb clenched his jaw and Aileen’s winced when she saw his fist wrapped so tightly around his goblet that his knuckles were white. He was moving around anxiously in his chair as though readying to throw it back and scream at the man which he had rarely failed to do whenever he got angry as it tended to frighten people more.

He was like a wolf showing his victims his fangs before attacking, he knew the more ruthless he was against those who scorn him or his family, the less likely people were to harm him or those he loved.

“ _ Perhaps _ , we ought to just give Lord Tyrion a room and send word to your father?” Aileen implored, rushing up to Robb’s side and placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him calm and seated. She knew if he let his emotions take control at that moment he would end up leaving a terrible image of his father and Winterfell.

Robb let out a shaky breath and nodded numbly, but before he even had another chance to toss any more words of hate to Tyrion, the door creaked open and Hodor stumbled inside with Bran in his arms. Meanwhile, Aileen took a seat beside Robb and she heard him let out another soft sigh, the tension seeming to fall from his shoulders even just a bit.

Tyrion’s eyes widened at the sight of the young man awake and coherent. “So, it’s true,” he muttered. “Hello, Bran,” Tyrion greeted and Hodor stopped in his tracks so he could turn Bran to Tyrion. “Do you remember anything about what happened?”

“He has no memory of that day,” Maester Luwin announced before Bran could even open his mouth to speak. 

“Curious,” Tyrion mumbled, though he didn’t seem to think it curious at all.

“Why are you here?” Robb wondered, shaking his head aimlessly at Tyrion with a small frown.

Rather than respond, Tyrion kept his focus on Bran and Hodor. “Would your charming companion be so kind as to kneel? My neck is beginning to hurt.”

“Kneel, Hodor,” Bran instructed and Hodor did as he commanded, kneeling before Tyrion.

“Do you like to ride, Bran?” Tyrion asked.

“Yes,” Bran smiled, but his smile fell with his gaze as he realized he needed to correct himself. “Well, I mean I  _ did  _ like to,” he mumbled. 

“The boy has lost the use of his legs,” Maester Luwin proclaimed.

“What of it?” Tyrion scoffed. “With the right horse and saddle even a cripple can ride,” he shrugged.

“I’m not a cripple,” Bran snapped.

“Then, I’m not a dwarf!” Tyrion exclaimed, looking down at his stature with wide eyes. “My father will rejoice to hear it,” he smiled. He took a deep breath and reached into his coat. “I have a gift for you,” he said, pulling out a rolled up paper. “Give that to your saddler. He’ll provide the rest,” he explained as Bran unrolled the paper to peer at it. “You must shape the horse to the rider,” Tyrion informed the group, as he turned his attention back to Maester Luwin, Robb, and Aileen. “Start with a yearling and teach it to respond to the reins and to the boy’s voice.”

Bran stared at the paper with wide eyes and, finding her curiosity getting the better of her, Aileen got up from her seat and walked around to Bran and Hodor so she could see the paper. 

She peered down at the plans and tapped Bran’s shoulder, silently asking if she could take it into her hands. He glanced up at her and without a moment of hesitation, passed the plans to her while he turned his attention back to Tyrion.

“Will I really be able to ride?” Bran asked, clearly trying to keep hope from entering his voice completely but nevertheless allowing some of it to slip through.

Aileen furrowed her brow as she stared at the plans. She wasn’t the best with working out these sorts of things and hardly had the education to be able to do so. The best she could tell was they were thoroughly planned out and Lord Tyrion had most certainly made an effort to try and help Bran.

“You will,” Tyrion promised Bran with a small smile. “On horseback, you’ll be as tall as any of them,” he said and Bran beamed at him.

Meanwhile, Aileen placed a gentle hand on Bran’s shoulder before heading back up to the high table and passing the plans over to Robb as she took a seat next to him. He would understand them far better than she could though she doubted any of them could comprehend the intricacies of the plans better than Bran’s saddler.

“Is this some kind of trick?!” Robb exclaimed, furrowing his brows as he looked down at the plans. “Why do you want to help him?” He wondered.

“I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things,” Tyrion snapped and Aileen snorted as Bran gave Tyrion an amused smile.

“Robb could say the very same thing,” Aileen mumbled and Robb pinkened as his gaze fell while Aileen snickered at him.

“You’ve done my brother a kindness,” Robb said, taking a deep breath and playfully shoving Aileen as she continued to laugh at him. “The hospitality of Winterfell is yours.”

“Spare me your false courtesies, Lord Stark,” Tyrion moaned. “There’s a brothel outside your walls. There I’ll find a bed and both of us can sleep easier,” he huffed.

Aileen and Robb shared a look as Tyrion turned on his heel and marched out of the Hall.

“Well, that was easy,” Aileen shrugged.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Robb hummed, shoving his chair away from him and marching out.

Aileen jumped up and hurried to follow him as he stormed back into the castle sulking.

“What do you mean?” Aileen frowned. “He’s going to stay in some brothel while he’s in Winterfell then leave and you won’t have to put up with him.”

“I don’t trust the Lannisters,” Robb huffed. “He may very well leave without another word to us but if my mother is right they’ve likely got their sights set on the throne and that means anyone and anything else is a necessary sacrifice to get there.”

“You really think some people can be so completely heartless?” Aileen implored with a raised brow.

Robb turned to her and sighed softly as though he envied her ignorance. “One of the first lessons my father taught me is that there are always people who want more power than they have and they will stop at nothing to get it.”

Aileen furrowed her brows. “People like me, you mean? People who are born low on the social ladder and want something better than joining a brothel at nine?” She prompted, narrowing her eyes at Robb.

“No,” Robb scoffed, smiling softly. “People like the Lannisters who already have power and yet crave more of it. People who wanted unquestioned dominance over all the Seven Kingdoms and would wipe out anybody who even thinks of questioning them.”

“But from what I’ve seen the Lannisters aren’t like that,” Aileen reasoned with a shake of her head. “Jaime Lannister was a bit pig-headed and had these stupid ideas about what I am and what I should be but it’s nothing I didn’t expect and it certainly wasn’t a power-hungry tyrant.”

“He’s a Kingslayer,” Robb reminded her.

“Yeah, a slayer of the Mad King,” Aileen retorted with a raised brow. “I don’t know about you but of all the Kings, slaying the Mad King isn’t the worst thing.”

“Still,” Robb shook his head. “Even if he and his brother have nothing to do with any of this, I’d be willing to stake my life that Cersei Lannister isn’t completely innocent.”

“What, the Queen?” Aileen gasped. “You think this goes all the way up to the Queen?”

“How can it not?” Robb scoffed. “I just hate that we’ve sent my sisters to that place knowing what we know.”

“They’ll be alright,” Aileen assured him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Your father and the guardsmen will look after them, no matter what it takes.”

“Regardless of how hard they fight they’re still dangerously outnumbered,” Robb huffed. “As much as you deny it this may very well end in a war.”

“Robb, war is not the only way to solve a dispute between people,” Aileen groaned. “Especially not when it’s between two head families of houses rather than an actual substantial amount of people because if you go to war you’ll just be throwing thousands of men with no place in this quarrel out on the field to die fighting a war that isn’t theirs it’s yours.”

“These men have sworn fealty to me and my family. Are you just going to say they shouldn’t fight for me, ever?” Robb implored with a raised brow.

“No, I’m saying that be sure you’re throwing them into a fight they have a place in and not a fight that could just be resolved by you and your family meeting with the Lannisters.”

“If we meet with the Lannisters they will deny what they’ve done,” Robb huffed.

“Robb, we don’t even know for sure if they have done it!” Aileen exclaimed. “We weren’t at the tower when Bran was thrown from it and Bran has no memory of it, so we can’t say for sure.”

Robb winced and turned away from her. “Is there some point you’re trying to make with this or are you just trying to belittle my brother’s near death?”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “Why are emotions all or nothing for you?” She wondered. “You either care so much you turn into this or you think only of your duty and emotions are left behind.”

Robb clenched his jaw and spun around to glare down at her. “I have to do something for Bran. I have to get payback for what they’ve done to him. I mean, they tried to kill him, Aileen!”

“I’m well aware,” Aileen nodded. “But nothing is going to be solved if you can’t find some medium between killing everybody and hurting only the people who deserve to be hurt.”

“Do you think the Lannisters would find that medium?” Robb wondered.

“No, and that’s why they’re the bad guys,” Aileen smirked. “If you don’t try to come to some sort of peace with this, thousands of men will needlessly die over one little boy who doesn’t even remember any of this.”

“If they did do it, it would be worth it,” Robb sighed, leaning back against the stone wall of the castle. “They deserve to pay for trying to have a child killed.”

“And they will,” Aileen nodded. “It may not be as immediate as a war but if the gods are good it’ll come one day.”

Robb smiled softly and pushed himself off the wall to place his hands on her shoulders and grin at her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he confessed.

“Probably lose your head,” Aileen shrugged and with a chuckle, Robb pulled her into a tight hug.

~~~

Aileen’s fingers danced across the books with a soft sigh. She didn’t know what had drawn her to the Maester’s library. It wasn’t as though she could read what he had available and yet a piece of her found this strange urge to go and see what she could. 

Ever since she was a little girl she’d always had this pull deep within her to learn all she could and absorb all the stories and information the world had to offer. However, with her low birth, it wasn’t easy. Her mother rarely stayed home long enough to teach her much and her father could only offer her street smarts and stories of the life down South as that had been where he grew up until he moved to the North as a teenager.

Still, Aileen had sought out lessons where she could and managed to learn how to wield weapons from Robb Stark, how to knit her own clothes from Sansa Stark, and the different Lords and Ladies of the Seven Kingdoms from the Maesters in Winterfell, along with some lessons about survival she had managed to teach herself.

Regardless, nobody ever had the time or ability to teach her how to read and she found herself realizing that even as Robb could show her a lot about armies and his lordship, there were many things even he couldn’t possibly know and she was certain only the stories the Maester owned could teach her that.

She stepped back and gazed around at all the books available but before she could even begin to work out how she might teach herself to read, the door creaked open and she jumped.

She spun around and there stood young Rickon looking up at her with a small frown.

“What are you doing?” Rickon wondered. 

Aileen smiled at the boy. “Would you like to know a secret?” She implored, raising a brow at the boy.

Rickon beamed and nodded frantically. “I like secrets.”

Aileen giggled and wrapped her arm around him, pulling him over by the books. “I can’t actually read and I was sitting here thinking to myself about how I might go about learning.”

Rickon’s eyes widened. “I can teach you!” He exclaimed and Aileen smiled softly at him.

“Could you?”

“Yes, well I don’t know all the words in those books because Maester Luwin says a lot of them can only be understood when I’m older but, I can ask him to help you with those!” He cried and Aileen beamed at him.

“Well it sounds like you’ve got this all sorted out, haven’t you?” Aileen prompted and Rickon nodded frantically. 

“We can get started on one of my favorite books,” Rickon gasped, kneeling down to the bottom shelf and plucking a skinny book from the row. “Mother used to read it to me before I went to bed every night,” he said pulling out a small white book. 

Aileen grinned at him and took a seat at the Maester’s desk while he pulled up a chair.

“Now, reading is sort of hard because the words look one way but you say them some other way,” Rickon sighed. “Like knight. See it in the title there? It’s not said as it looks. I thought you were supposed to say ‘ki-ni-ght’ but it’s knight.”

“What about this one?” Aileen frowned, pointing to the word at the top of the title. “Ta-les? Ta-lus?”

“Tales,” Rickon pronounced with a smile. “It’s said like a tail on a wolf but it actually means stories.”

Aileen chuckled. “I know what the words mean I just don’t know how they look.”

“Well, this should help!” Rickon exclaimed. “The title is _Tales of the Knights of the Seven Kingdoms_ ,” he told her.

Aileen smiled at him. “I can already tell you’re going to be a brilliant teacher!”

“Yes!” Rickon exclaimed. “Now, let’s start,” he said as he opened the book.

However, before he could begin helping her read, the door creaked open and Maester Luwin peered at both of them with wide eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Maester Luwin frowned. “You have no business being in here.”

Rickon climbed off his chair and ran over to Maester Luwin to grab his arm and drag him towards Aileen. “Aileen wants to read!” He cried.

Maester Luwin narrowed his eyes at Aileen. “Is that so? Why would you be interested in something like that, my dear?”

“I’m curious,” Aileen shrugged. “I know people in my station, or rather women normally don’t learn how to read but I want to know what I’m missing out on. I want to learn to read the children’s books and big important books about the history of the Seven Kingdoms just the same and maybe even one day learn different languages?” She suggested.

“But what use could you have for it?”

“Likely none,” Aileen conceded with a nod. “But it would be nice if one day I have children and I’m able to read more than just their children’s stories like my mother.”

Maester Luwin smiled softly at her and hung his head. “Alright,” he agreed and placed the books in his arms down on a table beside the door. “Young Rickon and I shall teach you how to read both the children’s books and the books on the highest shelf.”

Rickon’s eyes widened as he looked to Aileen. “I’m not allowed to get to that shelf for another ten years!” He exclaimed and Aileen giggled.

“They’re the most advanced books I have here,” Maester Luwin nodded. “The only books you’d find more advanced than these are in the Citadel of Oldtown.”

“That’s where people go to become maesters, right?” Aileen clarified, raising a brow and turning to Rickon.

Maester Luwin chuckled softly. “That’s essentially it, yes,” he nodded. “Now, let’s begin teaching you,” he said kindly.

Maester Luwin took a seat to her right while Rickon ran back over to her left.

“Right,” Aileen muttered, taking a deep breath and flipping to the first page. “Let’s begin.”

 


	8. A Tolerance For Pain

“‘M-Ma-e-s-.’”

“Maester,” Maester Luwin corrected with a gentle nod.

“Oh, your title is so horribly spelled,” Aileen moaned and Rickon giggled at her. “‘Maester Luwin, please know I will be delayed in my return home. I am deli-G-heted-’.”

“Delighted,” Rickon amended.

“Delighted,” Aileen repeated with a soft sigh. “‘I am delighted to hear Bran is awake. Tell him I will be home as soon as I can, but I have matters to attend to that are too dan-GERose-’.”

“Dangerous,” Maester Luwin said and Aileen huffed and hung her head.

“Dangerous,” Aileen corrected herself. “‘I have matters to attend to that are too dangerous to talk of in a simple letter. I will let you know the full length of them when I return’,” she finished and let out a deep breath as though she had been reading underwater. “I feel like I’m just memorizing how words should look instead of learning anything.”

“You’re getting better,” Maester Luwin assured her with a soft pat on the back. “You were able to read a whole book, don’t forget that.”

“It was a children’s book!” Aileen exclaimed. “And it was the smallest book I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s still an accomplishment,” Maester Luwin reminded her. “Many men learn how to read that younger than Rickon and move on. The fact that you’re learning to do this much older is impressive but you have to remember it means you’re going to be playing catch up for quite a while.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” Aileen huffed, shoving her chair out from behind her and marching away.

“It was not meant to be an insult, my dear, I’m merely stating facts you already know,” Maester Luwin sighed.

“Yes, well I don’t particularly enjoy hearing them!” Aileen snapped and threw the scroll at him, making him flinch. “Here, I need to fucking shoot something.”

She stormed off, marching through the mud and summer snow to the castle grounds where her bow and arrows laid.

“Should we go after her?” Rickon frowned, watching as she slowly disappeared from sight.

“No, my boy,” Maester Luwin hummed, patting Rickon gently on the soldier. “She’s just frustrated as she has a right to be. It’s best to let her cool down. I know she’ll come back in time for her next lesson. She’s determined to learn. I can see it in her eyes.”

“Why hasn’t she learned how to read?” Rickon wondered innocently.

“It’s rare that anyone who isn’t a lord, lady, maester, or royal should know how to read. Many don’t bother if they know they’ll never need it and even then women hardly ever learn to read” Maester Luwin explained.

“Why not?” Rickon frowned. 

“Many men refuse to teach women and even if they do, there are many men in women’s lives who don’t think women should not learn how to read or don’t need to learn how to read.”

“Does Aileen need to know how to read?” Rickon wondered.

“No,” Maester Luwin smiled. “No, she’s one of the rare women who want to try and learn to read and write and speak different tongues even if she has no use for it.”

“And that’s good?” Rickon assumed with a raised brow.

“That’s very good,” Maester Luwin nodded. “Many may say otherwise, but know it truly is a good thing,” he insisted to the boy. “Now, let’s go get you some lunch.”

“Okay!” Rickon exclaimed happily and Maester Luwin chuckled softly as Rickon jumped off his seat and took off running in the direction of the Hall.

Meanwhile, Aileen was out on the field shooting countless arrows, occasionally pulling two arrows between her fingers and shooting them out at once.

As she was shooting, Theon Greyjoy walked up with a small smirk.

“I don’t get you,” Theon remarked.

Aileen’s grip slipped and her two arrows fell from her fingers before she could shoot them. “Fuck!” She exclaimed, spinning around to glare at Theon. “What in seven hells could you possibly want?”

“Oh, someone’s touchy today,”  Theon chortled. “Did your spelling lessons with the Maester not go well?” He asked, feigning a pout as he laughed at her.

Aileen clenched her jaw and pulled an arrow out. She slung it through her bow and aimed it right between Theon’s eyes.

“If you don’t get as far from me as possible I will shoot,” Aileen promised. “You and I have known each other long enough for you to know that I would do it without hesitation.”

Theon rolled his eyes. “Please,” he scoffed as he marched over to her side and grabbed a bow and some arrows. “You don’t want to go to the dungeons again.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Aileen prompted with a raised brow. She aimed her bow downwards and shot Theon’s foot.

Theon shrieked in pain, cursing every god- both old and new as he hopped around clutching his foot. “What the fuck, you fucking bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Don’t test me when I’m already mad,” Aileen huffed, marching forward and plucking the arrow from his foot. “I shot a toe damn you stop being so dramatic.”

“Oh, because it was just a toe it can’t fucking hurt?!” Theon cried.

“That’s not what I said,” Aileen shrugged. “But you might think twice about trying to fill Robb’s mind with ideas of war if you can’t handle an arrow hitting one toe,” she warned and Theon narrowed his eyes at her.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” 

“I don’t like you,” Aileen said simply. “You’ve been telling Robb to fuck children into me since I was fourteen, you fuck my mother’s friends around me whenever you can, you were for me being executed when I was sixteen and you just insulted me for trying to learn to read. Do I need more reasons?”

“And to think,” Theon scoffed as he peeled off his boot and sock to peer at his injury. “I was beginning to consider trying you out myself to see what’s got Robb so obsessed with you,” he muttered as he tore some of his shirt to wrap around his toes.

Aileen rolled her eyes. “And there’s the new reason,” she mumbled.

“You always act as though sex is such a bad thing,” Theon remarked, narrowing his eyes at her. “Like the gods will smite us down for engaging in such  _ awful  _ acts,” he said with a smirk as though he couldn’t care less if they actually did that.

“The last time I had sex was with a sixty-year-old man who insisted on calling me his princess the entire time. Forgive me if I’m not too anxious to crawl back into bed with anybody,” Aileen muttered bitterly as she shot the target with two arrows. 

It wasn’t a bullseye like she usually achieved with one arrow, but it would do.

Theon snorted. “I didn’t realize you liked the old ones. My mistake.”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “I don’t like the old ones you absolute arse I was raped,” she huffed.

Theon’s face fell and he paled. “Shit.”

“Exactly,” Aileen smirked, facing him as she shot a single arrow and landed a bullseye. 

“Wait, so that’s why Robb-,” Theon realized, his eyes wide as he connected the dots.

“Has insulted you, stopped you, or outright ignored you every time you told him to take me as his mistress?” Aileen assumed. “Pretty much,” she nodded.

“Fuck, why are you telling me this now?!” Theon exclaimed. “Not before when you heard me talking about this shit?!”

“If I’m being honest I just knew if you tried to talk about it right after I shot you in the foot you’d never stop unless I tell you why you can’t be talking like that,” Aileen explained with a small shrug. She shot her two arrows once again and they landed on the far right and left of the target rather than at the bullseye. “Shit,” she hissed.

“You’re the most irritating woman in this castle, you know that right?” Theon clarified and Aileen smiled. 

“Oh, definitely,” she nodded, picking up two arrows again. “But I take comfort in knowing that no matter how frustrating my presence can be or how much I make the Starks want to tear their hair out I can never be as annoying as  _ you _ ,” she informed him, grinning as she shot her two arrows just a few inches closer to the bullseye.

Theon seemed to grow red with fury as he clenched his jaw and glared at her. “At least the Starks choose to have me around. They don’t get a say with you.”

“Oh, that’s true, they kidnapped you so they automatically  _ rejoice  _ in your presence,” Aileen snorted. “You know life will be easier for both sides if you just openly admit how much you hate all of them and would rather them dead.”

“I don’t want them dead,” Theon scoffed.

“What sort of person doesn’t want the people holding them prisoner dead?” Aileen frowned, furrowing her brows at Theon. “Problem number one right there.”

“They’re not holding me, prisoner!” Theon snapped, standing up and smacking his hand against the barrel full of arrows in his anger. “I can freely roam the castle and Winterfell as I please. I can fuck any whore of my choosing and I can be where I want when I want.”

“If you can be where you want then why don’t you go home?” Aileen wondered. “Oh, that’s right, because you’re not allowed to leave Winterfell,” she nodded. “Meanwhile, if I decided to leave Winterfell this minute Robb would simply wish me a good journey and that would be it.”

“As if you could afford to leave Winterfell,” Theon scoffed, rolling his eyes at her. “You’re nothing more than a sad little street urchin.”

“At least I’m not a nineteen-year-old man who has deluded himself into thinking he’s a free man just because he can see the sky every day and if the odds were better his family might somehow have won that foolish rebellion from a father that doesn’t even seem to miss him,” Aileen huffed. 

Theon clenched his jaw and wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing tightly. Aileen’s eyes widened and she dropped her bow and arrows, clawing against his fist frantically.

“Don’t you dare speak a word against my family you filthy whore,” Theon hissed. “Your mother was a slut and your father was a mad man, the Greyjoys are gods compared to yours.”

Aileen choked out and Theon tossed her onto the ground like she was pure rubbish. He even had the nerve to wipe his hand on his coat as though touching her had somehow stained him. 

Aileen coughed desperately on the ground and rubbed her throat to try and regain her voice before she spoke roughly to him.

“You-You don’t even know them,” Aileen rasped and Theon spun around to her with wild eyes. Aileen raised her hands in surrender. “Your father. I’ve heard the stories about him. He wasn’t a good man. He likely still isn’t. I’m only trying to show you that and open your eyes to the cage you’re in.”

Theon narrowed his eyes at her. “If you were trying to do that you wouldn’t be so cozy with all those damn Starks,” he spat.

“I could say the same to you,” Aileen sighed, rubbing her throat absentmindedly. “I respect the Starks and owe them my life after they freed me from the dungeons with such a small punishment, but I don’t have to agree with all they do.”

“So you expect me to believe you hate them for what they did to me?” Theon scoffed.

“I didn’t say that once,” Aileen shook her head. “Quite frankly, there’s a big part of me that’s mad they took you out of all the Greyjoy boys considering you just  _ choked me _ !” She snapped. “But while I like and care for them, I don’t condone what they have done. There’s a big piece of me that always wanted you to go home until I talked to Robb and he told me your father was a thousand times worse than anything you could face here.”

“Why bother pointing out that I’m a prisoner if you’re just going to tell me going home is foolish?” Theon wondered.

“Because the day your father dies you deserve to be on the first ship back to the Iron Islands. Not because I don’t enjoy your presence, which I don’t, but because you deserve to know your home and if I’m right I’d say you know Winterfell and the people here better than your own home.”

Theon’s face fell and he stared down at the ground. “Why would you want to help me or even want anything good for me?” He muttered. “You said it yourself, you have no reason to like me.”

“You can want good things for people you don’t like,” Aileen shrugged. “If I wished all the worst things in the world on you, what would that do? I could swear on every god that one day I’ll kill you, but there’d be no reason to kill you when I can help you get back to the Iron Islands. Both ways you’d be out of my life forever but in one of those scenarios I’d have your death on my conscience.”

Theon narrowed his eyes at her for a moment before stepping back and thinking. “How is it you manage to find the kindest resolution to hating somebody?” Theon wondered.

“It’s in my nature, I suppose,” Aileen shrugged, smiling softly as she climbed to her feet. “I figure, there’s the law which can be cruel to the lower classes, there’s vengeance which if drawn out too long can just drive you mad, and finally there’s killing someone with kindness. That’s what I’m doing to you Theon,” she said simply, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m murdering you with kindness,” she told him with a smile.

With that, she grabbed her bow where it dropped on the ground and placed that and her arrows back into the barrel.

“You’re not-?” Theon spun around with wide eyes. Aileen turned to him with a raised brow. “You’re not going to tell Robb what I did to you, are you?”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “What else am I supposed to say?” She frowned. “‘Oh yes,  Robb, these red marks are from where I choked myself?!”

Theon winced. “He’ll kill me for it,” he murmured.

“No, he won’t,” Aileen scoffed. “Even if he wanted to he doesn’t have the right to pass death sentences with his mother gone. He has to wait for her to get back to King’s Landing or at least manage to get a raven to her even though she told Maester Luwin she’s going to take a while getting back so she’s probably already on the Kingsroad and a raven would be pointless.”

Theon let out a huff and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can’t you just lie to him?” He asked with a shrug.

Aileen shook her head aimlessly at him. “What am I supposed to say? A bloody book fell on my neck and left fingerprints?!”

“No, but-.”

“Theon. I’m telling him. I’ll also tell him it was because I was talking ill of your family so that might help,” Aileen shrugged. “But don’t sign your will yet.”

Theon rolled his eyes. “That won’t help,” he muttered. “Robb thinks the world of you. You could tell him you murdered me right here and he’d probably say you had a good reason for it.”

“That’s absurd!” Aileen exclaimed, laughing at the very idea. “I’ll admit he may be a little biased but he’s not completely blind.”

“When it comes to you he is,” Theon mumbled.

Aileen scoffed and glanced around the grounds as though some answer would manifest out of nowhere. “I’m telling him,” she decided. “I’m sorry, I just have to.  Even if we could come up with some suitable lie I doubt I’d be willing to lie to him when I look him in the eyes. Him and I have never lied to each other since his father held me prisoner and I’m not about to start.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” Theon huffed. “We’re all just collateral damage to the two of you, aren’t we?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aileen frowned. 

“It means that if Robb had to kill a thousand men for you, he would,” Theon snapped, looking into her eyes with his own hard green ones. “You may deny it all you want and ignore it but it’s true. If the entire South came to try and kill you or your own mother suddenly reappeared and tried to kidnap you, he’d kill all of them.”

“I don’t see how this has anything to do with how Robb is going to react to you,” Aileen sighed.

“Yes, you do,” Theon persisted, stepping towards her and nodding as he grinned cruelly at her. “Somewhere in the brain that can’t figure out how to read properly, you know that Robb would kill whoever he needed to keep you by his side, especially me.”

“You’re talking like he would kill his own bloody mother,” Aileen scoffed. 

“No, but he would grow to hate her for how she’s treated you,” Theon shrugged and Aileen shook her head.

She shoved him back a few steps. “I’m not going to keep entertaining the idea that Robb would suddenly become some homicidal maniac over me, and even if I was willing to you’re hardly the last source I would trust.”

Theon smirked. “You really are that stupid, aren’t you?”

Aileen rolled her eyes. “And you wonder why I don’t like you,” she hummed, turning on her heel and marching away. “Just for that, I hope Robb throws you in a dungeon for choking me!” She cried without really meaning it.

Theon called out countless curses which she ignored as she headed back inside the castle to track down Robb.

However, before she could even begin thinking where he might be around this time of day, little Rickon came running up to her with a large smile plastered across his face.

“I knew you’d come back!” Rickon exclaimed and Aileen giggled.

Rickon ran straight into her arms and she picked him up and carried him as she continued down the corridor. 

“Maester Luwin said you’d come back for lessons but I was worried at first. I thought you were too upset to come back,” Rickon recounted to her while her eyes flickered around the castle for Robb. “Then I realized that he was right because you wouldn’t leave like that. You were so happy when I said I wanted to teach you that you would never give up.”

Aileen smiled and nodded. “No, you’re right. I was just getting a bit tired and my head began to hurt trying to remember how to say everything,” she explained.

“I knew it and I-wait,” Rickon froze as his eyes finally fell on Aileen’s neck. “What happened?!” He exclaimed. “Why-?!”

Aileen brushed his hand away. “It’s nothing you need to worry about,” Aileen assured him. She placed him back down on the ground. “Go find Maester Luwin and study,” she instructed.

“But Ailee!” Rickon cried.

“Go,” Aileen instructed, glaring down at him and somehow mastering that terrifying parental stare without kids of her own.

Rickon gulped and without another word, he took off running to wherever Maester Luwin was.

Aileen took a deep breath and rubbed her neck subconsciously. She headed down the corridor until she heard Robb’s distant voice in Bran’s room.

“-With him until Supper and then I’ll look after him, but I’ve got to work with his saddler putting the finishing touches on this saddle,” Robb explained.

“Whatever you say, m’lord,” she heard Old Nan agree. “I think the little lord likes the stories I have in store for him today.”

“Please, don’t leave me alone with her again,” Bran begged. “I’ll study with Maester Luwin, just please not her.”

“Maester Luwin is busy on the other side of the castle and Hodor is eating so we can’t have him bring you to the maester,” Robb informed his brother. “It’ll only be for a few hours and just think when it’s over you’ll have a new saddle,” he promised with a smile.

“I’m not even sure if it’s worth it at this rate,”  Bran grumbled and Robb laughed.

“I’ll be back soon, try not to fill his head with too many stories,” Robb instructed Old Nan.

“I won’t promise anything I can’t hold to,” Old Nan sighed and Robb snorted.

Aileen lingered by the doorway until Robb walked out and closed the door. When he stepped out into the corridor she stepped in front of him and at first, he jumped and stared down at her with wide eyes, but when his brain caught up and he realized who she was he quickly smiled and gathered her in his arms as he laughed.

“Oh, where have you been!” Robb exclaimed. “I haven’t seen you all day!”

Aileen grinned as he pulled out of the hug and watched as his face quickly fell when he spotted her throat.

“What-,” Robb began and tilted her chin up to get a better look at the deep red marks and handprint on her throat. His gaze turned to stone. “Who?”

Aileen winced. “You know when you look like that I feel like I may be getting killed?” She muttered.

Robb clenched his jaw. “Who did this?”

“Before you react you have to know I shot this person in the foot with an arrow and insulted their family,” Aileen told him, placing a hand on his chest to try and calm him down.

“I don’t care, you could’ve been killed if they had gone much harder!” Robb snapped.

Aileen sighed softly and hung her head. There was no stopping him or calming him down until she told him the name. “It was Theon,” she murmured.

Robb grit his teeth. “I’ll kill him,” he nodded, his resolve apparent precisely two seconds after she spoke. 

“No, you won’t,” Aileen moaned, placing both hands on his chest to hold him in place even as he tried to move around her. “You’re doing it again, Robb, you’re all emotion.”

“I don’t care!” Robb cried. “He had no right to strangle you and you’re awfully calm considering you were the one he did this to.”

“Because he’s not worth it,” Aileen huffed. “And what am I going to do? Strangle him right back? There’s no point stooping to his level.”

“If you can’t, I will,” Robb shrugged, trying to shove past Aileen again.

“No, you  _ won’t _ ,” Aileen insisted, stopping him once more. “Next time you see him you won’t hit him, or choke him, or kick him or fight against him at all, you will act as though this is nothing,” she instructed.

“Why?!” Robb exclaimed.

“Because he thinks you’re incapable of doing so when it comes to me,” Aileen said calmly. “And even still, I want to work with you to get him sent back to the Iron Islands with his tail between his legs once his father dies. That’ll be enough payback for me. Never seeing him again.”

Robb furrowed his brows as green eyes met blue. “Are you sure?”

“He choked me in a fit of rage, Robb. He didn’t kill me. He didn’t rape me or mutilate me. I would be reacting the same way if he had punched me or slapped me. I truly believe he didn’t plan on killing me,” Aileen shrugged. “With that in mind, I can move on.”

“Well, I’m glad that you are able to,”  Robb nodded, smiling gently at her. “I, on the other hand, am not.” 

With that, he picked Aileen up and placed her behind him before rushing down the corridor with Aileen hot on his heels. 

“Robb! Robb, don’t do this! It’s pointless!” She hollered. 

Robb slammed the door as he shoved it open and on the grounds, Theon spun around with wide eyes- a shaky hand gripping his bow.

“Theon, what the fuck were you thinking?!” Robb bellowed.

“Robb, stop!” Aileen screamed.

“I wasn’t- I- shit, I’m sorry,” Theon rambled. 

“Should’ve said that earlier,” Robb nodded and punched Theon in the nose.

“Robb!” Aileen shrieked as Theon fell to the ground.

Robb rubbed his fist. “Okay, now I can move on,” he sighed and Aileen rolled her eyes as she ran over to Theon’s side.

Theon was holding his nose in horror as blood dribbled down his chin.

“You broke my nose!” Theon cried. 

“And you could have broken her neck,” Robb nodded. “Would you say that’s about even?” He asked, raising a brow at the man.

Theon thought for a second before sighing deeply and nodding. “It’s fair now.”

Aileen narrowed her eyes as she glanced between the two men. Robb helped Theon to his feet and embraced each other with smiles and laughter as though they were brothers once more. 

“Men,” Aileen scoffed. “I’ve grown up with you lot and I still can’t understand you.”

“There are some things you can never understand, Aileen,” Theon laughed and Aileen rolled her eyes.

“Do shut up, Theon before I shoot you in the foot again.”

“Yeah, hold on, how come you were so fine shooting me in the foot but not watching Robb break my nose?” Theon wondered.

“I only shot skin and gave you a flesh wound when I shot you in the foot which was practically nothing considering it was a small flesh wound on your toe, and I was trying to shut you up and prove I would kill you if I wanted to, whereas I wanted badly to prove you wrong with Robb getting revenge, there was no point hurting you when the deed was already done and I have a bone to pick with revenge in general,” Aileen shrugged. “If it were over somebody dying that’d be totally different but all other forms of revenge are sort of pointless.”

“Why is getting revenge over death the only acceptable loophole?” Theon wondered.

“Because if someone murders a person you love, they’re out there living a happy little life- prosperous and unbothered while you could be in mourning for years over this person. People who murder your loved ones in cold blood don’t deserve to live life carefree and happy afterward,” Aileen sighed. “But then again I still have a little clause on that because if you’re going to get revenge on someone for killing your loved one you have to do it quickly or you run the risk of it becoming your identity.”

“How many clauses do you have to your morality?” Theon huffed, spitting some blood at her. Aileen rushed over and opened the door for him and Robb to head inside and track down the Maester.

“That’s pretty much it,” Aileen shrugged, closing the door behind them and hurrying after Robb and Theon. 

“She thinks since her idea of justice is centered around morality she needs to be extremely detailed in her own morality,” Robb told Theon with a soft chuckle. 

“Shouldn’t I?!” Aileen exclaimed.

“Pretty sophisticated for a girl who can’t read,” Theon remarked.

Aileen rolled her eyes. “When are you going to let that go?” She moaned. 

“When you learn how to read?” Theon shrugged. “More inspiration to force you to keep at it,” he smirked.

“Or more inspiration for me to shoot your other foot,” Aileen retorted and while Robb snorted in amusement, Theon paled. 

“One day I’m going to leave Winterfell and you’re going to miss me,” Theon sighed, shaking his head at Aileen.

Robb and Aileen shared a look and then broke down in fits of laughter and Theon clenched his jaw.

“I mean it!” Theon snapped. “I’ll be gone and you’ll all be rueing the day you broke my nose.”

“Where’s the all in this?!” Aileen exclaimed. “As far as I remember Robb did the punching and even you said the two of you were even afterward,” she reminded him.

“I just  _ mean _ ,” Theon hissed. “I could become the King of the Iron Islands and then who’ll feel sorry?”

“Probably you,” Aileen shrugged. “Ruling on your own is rough and other than whores you don’t have many prospects here let alone on the tiny Iron Islands,” she said and Robb roared with laughter.

“Oh, and you have so many?” Theon scoffed. 

“I’ve accepted I don’t have many, but a big part of that is I hate most of the men around my age in Winterfell,” Aileen shrugged. “Because quite a few of them have come knocking.”

Robb’s face fell. “You, what?”

Theon snorted. “Oh, how happy I am right now,” Theon hummed, beaming up at the ceiling.

Aileen winced. “Well, there was a butcher’s son, a farmer, a shoemaker, a baker, a disgusting candlemaker, and a barber, but the artist was the only one I ever really considered.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Robb repeated and it was Theon’s turn to roar with laughter.

“This has got to be the happiest I’ve ever been,” Theon hummed.

“I never actually dated any of them properly,” Aileen shrugged. “Well, the artist managed to court me for a few weeks but I found out he was surprisingly dull so that ended quickly.”

“But you never told me-.”

“Just like you haven’t told me about the ladies I’m sure your father has presented for marriage,” Aileen nodded. “I had to accept that I needed to marry one day and however much I may have hated it I couldn’t sit around single forever if I ever wanted my children to climb that bloody social ladder.”

“I never courted any of them though,” Robb frowned. “You’re telling me, you were being courted and none of us knew?”

Aileen shrugged and nodded. “Yes.”

“He must have been one hell of a bloke to put up with you coming here every bloody day,” Theon muttered. 

“Oh, I didn’t come here for a few days when he started courting me,” Aileen shook her head. “But I started coming back because he would drone on and on for hours about how paint colors are made and it was so mind-numbingly dull that I thought I could escape here for a few years and somehow he’d be more fun.”

“And?” Theon implored, raising a brow.

“Oh gods was I wrong,” Aileen sighed and the men laughed loudly. “One time when I visited him after coming here he spent two hours telling me of how it felt to paint a tree,” she said and the men continued to weep with laughter. “Eventually, I just got so sick of it because if I was going to marry someone that boring the least he could do is have money and he had none.”

“What happened when you dumped him?” Robb wondered.

“Oh, he cried and his mother found me to yell at me a day later,” Aileen shrugged. “She slapped me and I told her that her son was dreadfully dull and after trying to argue it for about two minutes she cried and said she knew and I was his only prospect.”

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have seen that,” Theon laughed, wiping tears from his eyes.

“It was pretty depressing, she actually apologized for the terrible courting and headed home sniffling,” Aileen muttered and Robb snorted.

“Theon, take pride in knowing you’ll never be so bad your parent has to apologize for how you court women,” Robb told his friend and Theon laughed harder.

As he laughed he began to choke on the blood pouring from his nose and Aileen winced as he started to cough. 

“Maybe, I shouldn’t have told the story?” She suggested and Theon shook his head frantically.

“Always tell that story until the end of time,” Theon choked out. “Just get me to the bloody Maester.”

Aileen snorted. “I could make a really obvious joke right now but I won’t because I feel just a little bad for you.”

“I’ll make it,” Robb shrugged. “Bloody Maester,” he said pointing to the blood dribbling down Theon’s shirt and Theon glared at him.

“Yes, it’s not that funny,” Theon huffed. “Let’s just go.”

“Alright,” Robb moaned. “You’re such a spoilsport when you get what’s coming to you,” he remarked and Aileen snickered while Theon rolled his eyes.

They headed down to the end of the corridor and Robb pounded on the Maester’s door.

It was mere seconds before the door swung open and the Maester looked to them with wide eyes. He quickly spotted Theon bleeding out with his arms draped over Aileen and Robb’s shoulders and ushered the trio inside.

“What was it this time?” Maester Luwin moaned. “I don’t see any cuts or bruises on Robb so I assume it was a quick punch of anger?”

“Sort of,” Robb shrugged. He and Aileen dropped Theon into one of the Maester’s chairs and Theon tilted his head forward like an old pro while Robb moved over to Aileen’s side and gestured to her neck. Maester Luwin’s eyes widened and he nodded in understanding.

“What happened to him?” Rickon asked from the corner of the room, staring at Theon cupping his blood in his hands and groaning with fear clenching his eyes.

Aileen winced. “I forgot I told him to study with Maester Luwin,” she mumbled.

Robb sighed softly and raked his fingers through his hair. “He got what was coming to him,” he shrugged. “Now, go wait outside,” he instructed the boy.

“No,” Rickon huffed and Aileen and Robb turned to him with wide eyes.

“Excuse me?!” They exclaimed in unison.

“No,” Rickon said, slightly less passionately as his posture fell. “I just-I’m tired of being told to go out all the time. Father would have allowed me to stay in and watch.”

Robb clenched his jaw and marched over to the boy. He bent down so he was eye-level with his little brother. “Do I look like father?  Do I even sound like father?”

Rickon shook his head no.

“Exactly. Theon and I have gotten into hundreds of fights growing up as boys do and I’m sure you and Bran have done. Sometimes those fights involved fists and we’d have to come to Maester Luwin for help when we started bleeding. Aileen was there almost every time when we fought because she’d be the one that pulled us off each other. That means between the three of us we’ve seen the Maester do what he’s about to do more times than you can count. The first time you see it is absolutely terrifying to a child and I don’t want to put that image in your mind right before supper.”

Theon groaned. “Do we have to reset the nose?” He wondered. “I feel perfectly fine like this,” he shrugged. 

“Theon, I can hear you trying to breathe from across the room,” Maester Luwin stated and Aileen snorted.

“Nice try,” Aileen sighed, clapping him on the shoulder while he moaned and dropped his head in his hands.

“I want to see it!” Rickon insisted, stamping his foot like he was missing out on dessert and not seeing a broken nose get reset.

“Oh, let the boy stay,” Maester Luwin hummed. “The worst that’ll happen is he gets turned off from supper.”

Robb furrowed his brows and turned to raise a brow at Aileen, silently asking her what she thought. She shrugged. “You saw it when you were a year younger than him.”

“Yes, but I didn’t have supper then bed right after,” Robb retorted.

“Worst case scenario he has to eat supper when he’d normally eat dessert,” Aileen muttered. “It’s not like he’s watching Theon get sewn back up across the stomach.”

Robb nodded. “Alright, you can stay, but if you get scared feel more than free to run out,” he told his little brother.

The boy nodded frantically, grinning as he stared up at Robb. 

“Alright, Theon,” Maester Luwin sighed. “Are you ready?”

Theon glanced up and glared at Maester Luwin. “If I say no can I avoid this?”

“C’mon, Theon,” Robb moaned. “It’s a moment of pain and then you can breathe again,” he shrugged. 

“It’s the moment of pain I’m dreading,” Theon nodded. “But we might as well get this over with,” he shrugged.

Maester Luwin gathered some cloths and gave them to Theon to bite down on. Theon nodded when he was ready and gripped the arms of the chair tightly to brace himself. 

Maester Luwin shooed his hands away from his broken nose and Rickon winced when he saw the strangely wide nose and the pools of blood Theon had been covering up until that point. He grabbed Robb’s hand and squeezed tightly. 

Maester Luwin took a deep breath and placed his hands on either side of Theon’s nose and with a sickening crack, he reset Theon’s nose. Theon screamed bloody murder, clenching the arms of the chair against the pain. Maester Luwin sighed softly and wiped the blood from his hands before grabbing another cloth to wipe the blood from Theon’s face.

Robb and Aileen clapped for Theon and Robb marched over to clap Theon on the shoulder. “You did it!” He exclaimed, beaming at Theon like a proud parent. 

Theon spat the cloths in his mouth out and flipped Robb off which only made Robb laugh harder. 

Rickon stared at Theon with wide eyes, his face pale as though he had just seen a ghost. Aileen noticed and with a wince, she rushed over to kneel before him.

“Are you alright?” She implored, placing a hand on Rickon’s shoulder as he wobbled.

“That-I-That crack was his nose?” Rickon gasped.

Aileen smiled gently and nodded. “It’s freaky to hear it for the first time. I remember when I was twelve and heard it for the first time after one of Jon and Robb’s fights,” she hummed. “I thought I was going to pass out but it’s what needs to be done. Theon’s bones were all screwed up when Robb punched him and Maester Luwin just put them right,” she shrugged.

“But it’s so much blood,” he breathed.

“It’s what happens when your bones get screwed up or when somebody hurts you. The blood on the inside of your body tends to come out to tell you that you’re wounded.”

“I guess I can understand it,” Rickon mumbled. “But I can’t get the picture out of my head.”

Aileen chuckled softly. “Yes, that I can’t help you with. My best advice is to study some boring subject, I can fetch Athena to play with or you can spend time with Bran before supper.”

“How will that stop me from thinking about it?” Rickon wondered with a small frown. 

“It’ll occupy your mind,” Aileen explained. “Your mind will be busy doing other things, you won’t even bother to think of Theon’s nose.”

Rickon nodded numbly. “I think I will go to Bran and maybe while I am you can go fetch Athena?” He suggested with a small smile and Aileen grinned.

“I’d be more than happy to,” she assured him and Rickon beamed before he headed out to his brother’s room. 

Aileen stood up and as soon as she did Maester Luwin was right there by her side checking her neck. 

“The redness is fading but there will be bruises,” Maester Luwin assured her Aileen groaned. “Do you want something for the pain? I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about the bruises,” he shrugged. 

“No, it doesn’t hurt that much. It’s just this dull throbbing ache. If I were having trouble speaking then I’d take something,” Aileen explained and Maester Luwin nodded. 

She headed over to Theon and Robb just as Theon shot up from his seat and rubbed his forehead. 

“I’ll be going to bed early tonight thank you very much. This day has been more than enough for me,” Theon huffed and Robb and Aileen shared a bemused look.

“Give Ros our love!” Robb called, referencing his favorite whore in the brothel he was most definitely planning to visit.

Theon flipped them off as he stormed out of the Maester’s office and Robb and Aileen just laughed.

The pair headed out after them, but before they could head down the corridor to their separate destinations, Robb took Aileen’s hand and pulled her back to him. She frowned at him until his rough fingers delicately traced her neck. Aileen fought back the shudder that followed his touch and focused on the worry weighing down his blue eyes.

“Be honest, how much does it really hurt?” Robb asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke.

“It’s fine,” Aileen shook her head, pulling away from his steady gaze and brushing his hand away from her.

Robb pulled her to the side of the corridor and placed one hand softly on her neck while the other was firmly on her hip to keep her in place. “Aileen,” he said as his voice began to edge that danger line between firm and yelling. “I know what you’re doing, be honest,  _ how much does it hurt _ ?” He insisted.

Aileen bit her lip and fought back the tears that threatened to spill over her eyes when her mind addressed the real pain she was in. Despite her best efforts, a few tears spilled over and Robb immediately swept them away with his thumb. 

“It feels like his hands are still around my throat. Not as tight but the grip is still there,” Aileen confessed.

Robb clenched his jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He wondered. “Or Maester Luwin? Or somebody?”

“You know why,” Aileen huffed. “You know why I ignore my pain and you’re the only one that knows.”

Robb sighed deeply and hung his head. “But you have to know you can trust me with that. You’re not in the brothel anymore and you’re not facing that man.”

“He whipped me for telling him he was hurting me,” Aileen reminded Robb with daggers in her eyes. “You try telling people when you’re in pain after that.”

Robb took a deep breath and nodded. “I still don’t understand why you won’t let me arrest those women. They knew all the clients they gave you were doing this and they did nothing.”

“It wouldn’t make me feel any better,” Aileen sighed. “And it wouldn’t turn back time and erase any of this for me.”

Robb scoffed and shook his head. “One of these days you’re going to have to get revenge on people when they hurt you. There’s no harm in it.”

“One of these days is not today,” Aileen hummed, smiling up at him while he chuckled and sighed deeply.

“Always the loopholes,” he mumbled. 

“They help you work morality into law, are they really that bad?” Aileen implored with a raised brow.

“No, but if you had an identifying trait that would be it,” Robb told her.

“That’s not so bad,” Aileen shrugged and Robb snickered.

“Whatever you say,” Robb hummed. “Now, what should I tell Maester Luwin?” He asked.

“Like a hard pressure on my throat with gentle throbbing,” Aileen answered with a smile. “Thank you.”

“I only do for you what you’d do for me,” Robb sighed. He kissed her gently on the forehead and headed back into the Maester’s office while Aileen leaned on the wall and grinned, her hands wrapped around her stomach as though that may stop the fluttering within it.


	9. Tough Little Lad

Three weeks later, Robb received a raven from King’s Landing. The Lannisters had struck again. They murdered Jory Cassel and many of Ned Stark’s men before stabbing Ned Stark himself through the leg.

Robb told Aileen and Theon first before bringing the news to all the senior members of their staff. He kept the information from Bran and Rickon for fear of how it could scare them and though he wouldn’t admit it openly, Aileen knew a piece of that was him despising being the one who has to tell them this since their parents are gone.

But time continued to pass and eventually Bran’s saddle was ready and he was able to ride once more, but even as Theon, Robb, and Aileen all headed out to watch after him while he rode through the fields it was Robb had that look behind his eyes. There was the absolute terror that soon he was going to have to ruin this happiness and things only got worse when Theon brought it up again out in the field while Bran was riding.

“Woo!” Bran cried looking the happiest he had been since he woke up. “Go, Aquila!”

“It was nice of you to lend him your horse,” Robb remarked, glancing down at Aileen as she tied strands of grass to each other.

Aileen smiled. “She’s not my horse,” she shrugged.

“You named her,” Robb reminded her. “She’s as good your horse as anything,” he said and Aileen grinned.

“Well, then do please go on about my saintly ways, ser,” Aileen requested, bowing as much as she could while she sat and making Robb laugh.

Theon rolled his eyes at them while he stared at Bran cheering and laughing as he rode. “When are you gonna tell him?” He wondered and Robb and Aileen turned to him with wide eyes.

“Not now!” Robb exclaimed, nodding to how happy Bran was.

Aileen nodded in agreement. “This is quite possibly the worst time to tell him.”

“But blood for blood,” Theon reminded them, furrowing his brows at how they could not see that. “Even Aileen said it, paying back death is justified. You need to make the Lannisters pay for Jory and the others.”

“I meant taking revenge on the people who physically did it or gave the command since most of them were soldiers and Jaime Lannister gave the command,” Aileen reminded him. “Jaime Lannister is heading for Casterly Rock. Do you expect him to march there?”

“He’s not a boy anymore!” Theon snapped.

“Theon, you’re talking about war,” Robb hissed.

“I’m talking about justice,” Theon corrected.

Robb shook his head. “Only the Lord of Winterfell can call in the bannermen and raise an army.”

“A Lannister put his spear through your father’s leg!” Theon exclaimed. “They attacked your father, they’ve already started the war! It’s your duty to represent your house when your father can’t!” He insisted.

Robb glared at Theon. “And it’s not your duty because it’s not your house. It’s my decision to make.”

Theon scoffed and shook his head. “You mean yours and Aileen’s.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Robb frowned, narrowing his eyes at Theon.

“You know exactly what it means you hardly make any of your decisions without her,” Theon snapped.

“I give him advice when he asks for it!” Aileen exclaimed. “That is not the same thing!”

“Funny how you give him advice all the time and he couldn’t be happier about it and I give him advice once and he tells me it’s not my place,” Theon scoffed.

“This is different,” Robb huffed. “She gives me advice with my siblings and when to not do something stupid. You’re advising me to go into war!”

“Hold on,”  Aileen frowned, dropping the grass she had been fiddling with as she stood up. “Speaking of siblings,” she mumbled. “Where’s Bran?”

Robb’s eyes widened and he jumped up to peer around. Theon stood up as well, but he looked far less interested as he did so.

“I don’t know,” Theon sighed. “It’s not my house,” he shrugged. And with that, he marched away while Aileen and Robb stared poisonously at his retreating back.

Aileen sighed and shook her head. “He can’t have gone far. He doesn’t know the woods like you and I do.”

Robb nodded. “Grab your bow just in case, him not knowing the woods is exactly what I’m worried about.”

Aileen headed over to the tree stump Robb had been sitting on and grabbed her bow and quiver before running after Robb.

They hunted the woods calling out Bran’s name desperately hoping he could answer.

There wasn’t much it seemed for miles. Just trees and wood and fog. Aileen narrowed her eyes hoping she could see Bran riding back to them in the distance, but no such luck.

“Maybe, we should split up,” Robb suggested with a sigh. “We’ll cover more ground.”

“Oh, we are doing anything but that,” Aileen chortled. “Everything goes wrong when you’re on your own, we’re looking for Bran because of that you idiot,” she admonished, thumping him on the head while he rolled his eyes.

“It was just an idea,” Robb moaned. “If we take forever to find him because we didn’t split up-.”

“Alternate idea, what if one of us finds Bran and then we have to go out searching and find the other killed in the woods because you brilliantly suggested splitting up?” Aileen proposed and Robb groaned.

“You don’t have to be so dramatic about it,” he mumbled.

“I’m not dramatic, I just think realistically,” she told him with a shrug. She turned to beam at him but just as she did so, she spotted a large black horse in the distance. Her face fell. “Robb,” she gasped, pointing a shaky finger towards the four people surrounding Bran and Aquila.

“Shit,” Robb breathed.

He grabbed her hand and they ran off to Bran, skidding to a stop just a few feet away so the people wouldn’t hear them.

“-Walkers down in Dorne,” one of the men said as they arrived.

“Drop the knife!” Robb snapped. They all spun around to see him and Aileen just as Aileen pulled her arrow up in her bow and aimed it at the man with the knife. “Let him go and we’ll let you live,” Robb promised as he unsheathed his sword.

Instead of agreeing, one of the men hissed to another and nodded to Aileen and Robb.

The man he hissed to raced over to Robb and Aileen screaming, but before he could get very close, Aileen shot him in the throat and he stumbled to the ground.

The man who hissed, likely their leader, immediately began trying to tear Bran from the horse while the two others he was with raced towards Robb and Aileen. The woman attacked Robb while Aileen was left with the man. He tried to swing an ax at her but she quickly dodged and shot him in the stomach with an arrow.

He clutched his stomach and his face contorted, but he tried to stumble towards her and swing the ax into her head.

She kicked him in the balls and he screamed in pain as he fell backward. Aileen grabbed one of her arrows and, climbing over him, she grabbed his unruly black hair to life his head up and stabbed him in the eye with her arrow.

“Robb, Aileen!” She heard Bran call from behind her.

She turned around with wide eyes to find the leader had captured Bran and had a knife to his throat at the very same moment Robb had a tight grip on the woman’s hair and his sword to her throat.

“Drop the blade!” the man snarled.

“Don’t!” Bran cried.

Aileen could hear Robb breathing shakily and she dropped her hold on the man she killed and ran to his side. “Do it,” she instructed him as she placed her bow down and raised her hands in surrender, despite her quiver still being on her back.

Robb turned to her with wide eyes and Aileen just nodded to him. “Trust me,” she insisted.

Robb took a deep breath and nodded, slowly placing his sword down so the leader didn’t assume he was trying anything.

The man sighed heavily and slowly removed his blade from Bran’s throat. Once she saw there was no way he could hit Bran again, she moved as quick as lightning. She grabbed one of her arrows from her back and threw it right into the leader’s eye. As he stumbled backward, she grabbed her bow and shot another arrow straight through his chest, killing him.

Robb let out a deep breath and kissed the crown of Aileen’s head several times while she giggled before running to pick Bran up. Meanwhile, Aileen pulled another arrow into her bow and aimed it at the wildling woman.

“Are you alright?” Robb gasped, his thumb tracing over the wound the wildlings had made on his leg.

“Yes,” Bran sighed. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Aileen smirked. “Tough little lad,” she remarked.

Robb took a deep breath and glanced down at the wildling woman. “What are we going to do with her?”

Aileen shrugged, pulling her arrow back. “If you choose to kill her that’s your sentence, you’ve got to swing the sword,” she reminded him.

Robb nodded solemnly.

The wildling woman let out a choked sob. “Give me my life, my lord, and I’m yours!” She cried, crawling towards him frantically.

Robb considered the woman for a moment before nodding. “We’ll keep her alive,” he mumbled.

The wildling woman let out something that was between a sigh and cry of relief as her head dropped to the ground.

Aileen smiled and placed her arrow back in her quiver. “Well, that was quite the ride,” she hummed. “I never thought I’d be okay with killing people.”

Robb narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you okay?” He asked.

Aileen winced as her stomach oddly rolled when he spoke. “Yeah,” she breathed. “I just,” she held up a finger and turned to the side.

Then she began vomiting.

“Seven hells,” Robb groaned. He carried Bran back over to Aquila and placed him on the saddle before running over to Aileen and holding her hair back as she puked.

The wildling girl giggled. “Has the girl never seen blood?”

“I’ve seen blood,” Aileen groaned. “I’m a girl, of course, I’ve seen blood,” she scoffed. “I’ve just never killed before.”

Robb brushed stray hairs from her face as she began puking again and tried to calm her down as she moaned and rubbed her head.

The wildling woman in the meantime narrowed her eyes at Aileen. Her eyes darted back to Bran as she slowly stood up and made her way over to Aileen.

Robb began to pull out his sword on the woman, but rather than attack Aileen she cupped the girl’s face in her hands and pulled her green eyes up to meet her brown ones.

“When you get home, change and bathe,” she instructed. “You’ll feel like the blood is clinging to you otherwise. Then, sniff garlic or onions. A strong odor to get the smell of death from your senses. Dispose of the arrows you got blood on then go and do something fun. Something simple. Something kind,” she said with a smile. “Before the end of the day, the deaths will be forgotten. They’ll live in your dreams for a while but there is nothing you can do for that. Just know one day they will fade away.”

Aileen could feel tears forming in her eyes as she grinned at the woman and nodded. “Thank you,” she breathed.

“I was once where you are now. You have killed my friends but it was done in self-defense. Their blood is not on your hands,” she promised.

Aileen gulped and tugged the woman into a tight hug.

“Aileen, you-!” Robb cried, running forward to try and stop her, but before he could the wildling woman was quickly hugging her back. Robb faltered.

Robb narrowed his eyes as the wildling woman closed her eyes and hugged Aileen tightly, no clear sign of her trying to use a weapon against Aileen. With a soft sight, Robb sheathed his sword and tapped the women to get them to pull apart.

“Since my parents have left Aileen has been pretty much been living in the castle with us,” Robb explained. “Would you like to be her maid until she returns? You would be under her protection and she under yours. Ladies maids are not deemed slaves and therefore nobody can touch you while you serve her, but you would need to look out for her just the same.”

The wildling woman turned to Aileen with wide eyes and she beamed at her, nodding frantically. The woman grinned. “Yes,” she agreed and Robb smiled.

Aileen tugged the woman into a hug once again. “What’s-What’s your name?” She gasped.

“Osha, my lady,” the woman saying, curtseying as best she could.

“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Aileen giggled. “I’m no lady.”

“But-,” Osha frowned, glancing back at Robb.

“I just have friends in high places,” Aileen shrugged. “He’s Lord of Winterfell until his father returns and until his mother returns I’m allowed to stay there.”

“This is already complicated and I have a feeling it’s going to get worse,” Osha muttered.

Aileen chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” she hummed, wrapping her arm around Osha and walking with her, Robb, and Bran back to Winterfell.

~~~

“I hate this!” Aileen cried as she shoved the papers off the Maester’s desk.

“My dear, if you are going to learn to read you are going to need to learn to write as well,” Maester Luwin sighed. He stood up and grabbed the papers from the floor to place before her once again.

“I’ve been doing good in reading and now you want to throw something else onto my plate?” Aileen frowned.

Maester Luwin chuckled softly. “You’re not going to get anywhere fast if you keep complaining. Do you only want to be able to read scrolls without replying to them?” He implored with a raised brow.

“What’s wrong with that?!” Aileen exclaimed. “Plenty of nobles only know how to read.”

“Yes, but you’re not plenty of nobles, are you?”

Aileen glared at him for a solid minute willing him to give in to the whims of an eighteen-year-old just because she stared long enough. However, it was eventually her that gave up after he persistently watched her in amusement rather than dismissing writing lessons.

“Fine!” She groaned. “But am I really far enough along in my reading lessons to start this? I’m still not sure if I’m learning how the words look or just memorizing things.”

“My dear, if you were memorizing things I would have been able to tell by now,” Maester Luwin assured her with a soft chuckle. “You’re doing well. Now we need to work on you being able to write it all down.”

Aileen let out a deep sigh, readying herself for the next trial her mind would go through. “Okay,” she muttered. She picked up the quill and dragged the scroll towards her. “I can do this.”

“Now, don’t be discouraged when you make errors,” Maester Luwin instructed. “I have plenty of scrolls here when the time comes,” he told her. He moved his right arm and demonstrated a small pile of scrolls awaiting her if she should need them.

“I don’t know if it makes me feel better or worse knowing you have prepared for my ultimate failure,” Aileen hummed, narrowing her eyes at the scrolls.

“You should certainly feel more secure,” Maester Luwin remarked. “Everybody makes blunders when learning something new. It’s just whether or not one can move through these mistakes that determine if you will truly learn anything.”

Aileen furrowed her brows as she thought on his words, tapping the quill infrequently on the scroll and leaving countless small dots. “Does that mean you made mistakes when you were learning how to read and write?”

Maester Luwin smiled and nodded. “I was quite a bit younger than you but yes, I did make many mistakes.”

Aileen shrugged. “Okay, I suppose I can do this,” she sighed, turning her focus back to the scroll.

“Right, so we’ll start you off with very simple sentences. Write very general statements and if you spell everything correctly we’ll move from there,” Maester Luwin explained.

“Easy,” Aileen exhaled. “No pressure,” she muttered. “Are you going to push me back on books if I fail this?”

Maester Luwin chuckled softly and shook his head. “That isn’t how it works, Miss Harrison. Your writing skills do not determine your ability to read.”

“Don’t they?” Aileen grumbled. “Okay, okay,” she shook her head and attempted to clear her mind. “I’ll write ‘the dog ran away’.”

“Very good,” Maester Luwin nodded.

Aileen began trying to write with her left hand but struggled immensely, her hand shaking and scribbling out barely illegible text.

Maester Luwin grabbed her hand and stopped her before she could even reach the bottom of the line in the ‘t’. “My dear, what hand do you swing a sword with?”

Aileen frowned and met his patient gaze. She had no idea anybody outside the Stark siblings knew about her training with their weapons. However, before she could question Maester Luwin he chuckled.

“Oh, Miss Harrison everybody knows you train with Robb Stark and though fewer are aware, many still know that you also carry those lessons over to his little sister Arya Stark.”

Aileen narrowed her eyes at him. She wouldn’t bother to get angry or swear him to secrecy. There was no point, especially if the knowledge was as common as he would have her believe. Instead, she took a deep breath and pulled her hand out from under his.

“Do Lord and Lady Stark know?” She wondered, her voice soft like they might be listening in.

Maester Luwin smiled. “I’m sure Lord Stark is far from aware as he could be. He isn’t one for investing himself in the personal interests of his children as I’m sure you have noticed and you are certainly one of Robb Stark’s interests.”

Aileen’s gaze fell as her cheeks burned pink. “I’d hope I’m more than just his interest. I am a person after all.”

“Yes you are, my dear, but as far as Lord and Lady Stark are concerned I’m sure they are both hoping that’s all you are. A passing interest,” Maester Luwin explained.

“Well, does Lady Stark know about my training with Robb?” Aileen asked, turning to raise a brow at Maester Luwin. “I know she’s seen us a few times but she hasn’t told Lord Stark so I’m not sure if she knows it’s a regular habit.”

“No, I have to agree with you there,” Maester Luwin hummed. “She is tight-lipped about you, our Lady Stark. However, I am certain she knows that your training is more than just a one-off occasion.”

“Right,” Aileen sighed. “Well, she hasn’t banned me from the castle yet so I suppose I need to count my blessings from the gods.”

“That you do Miss Harrison,” Maester Luwin chuckled. “Now, you haven’t answered my question. Which is your sword hand?”

“My right hand,” Aileen frowned, raising the hand in question. “Why?”

“Then that is the hand you need to be writing with,” Maester Luwin explained, plucking the quill from her left hand and placing it in her right. “That is your dominant hand.”

“Oh,” Aileen mumbled, glancing down at her hand with furrowed brows. “Well, should I try to write again?”

“Please,” Maester Luwin nodded to her.

Aileen used the quill and writing did come a lot easier in her dominant hand. She wrote out the sentence without any further errors and once she was done, Maester Luwin picked it up and read.

Aileen watched him read with her stomach in her throat. He finished quickly and Aileen winced when he placed the scroll back onto the table. However, rather than the pretentious niceties she expected, he smiled genuinely at her.

“It was perfect, my dear,” Maester Luwin said.

Aileen felt her heart shoot up out of her body as she worked her way through a hesitant grin. “A-Are you sure?” She muttered, anxiously awaiting her disappointment.

Maester Luwin laughed softly and nodded, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Yes. Now, let’s see if we can’t work through something a bit more complicated. Then, we’ll continue your reading lessons.”

“Oh, it never ends,” Aileen moaned. She took the next scroll from him and rolled her eyes.

Maester Luwin smiled. “If it makes you feel any better you only have three books left.”

Aileen’s eyes widened. “You’re joking,” she insisted.

“No, I’m afraid not. Three more books and you’ll have read your way through every level of proficiency.”

Aileen stared down at the table, her eyes staring holes through the wood as her mind rolled through what he was telling her. “Could I-,” she shook her head. “Could-Could I possibly borrow some books to practice? I feel like I’m going into some major final test I can’t possibly fail.”

Maester Luwin chuckled and nodded. “Of course. I’ll be sure to give them to you after your lesson,” he promised.

Aileen grinned, and she could help the leap of elation her stomach made as she realized just what this meant. She, Aileen Harrison, the girl even her mother didn’t expect much out of was going to know how to read and write. She was going to know how to wield a bow and arrow and do things every other girl in her station could only dream of.

She wanted to scream in joy.

“No, no, no,” Maester Luwin huffed and she rolled her eyes.

Just when she was caught in her happiness.

“What are you trying to spell because I can assure you nothing is spelled with three ‘e’s at the very beginning,” Maester Luwin assured her.

“Oh, I got lost in thought,” Aileen moaned. She crumbled up the scroll and tossed it into the nearby bin. “I was going to say ‘I want to see the Golden Company’s elephants’,” she explained with a smirk and Maester Luwin smiled.

“Well, you got the Golden Company right which is certainly a feat considering when you first started reading you thought ‘Company’ had several ‘e’s at the end of it,” he remarked. “But do you remember how to spell elephant?” He wondered. “It was one of the trickier ones.”

Aileen scrunched up her face as she thought. “Is that the one with the ‘ph’ where the ‘f’ should be?” She guessed.

Maester Luwin laughed and nodded. “Yes, yes, it is.” He watched her carefully as she wrote for a moment before speaking again. “You know, I’ll leave you to it for a few minutes and when I get back I’ll check all your scrolls.”

Aileen frowned. “Why would you leave?”

“I have to serve the actual Stark children and you seem to be making do well enough,” Maester Luwin explained.

“Oh, right,” Aileen winced.

Maester Luwin chuckled and shoved his chair back beneath the table. “I’ll see you soon!” He called over his shoulder as he left her.

“Tell Rickon I said to give Athena back!” Aileen replied, and with another chuckle, he left.


End file.
